Baby Book
by nerdielady
Summary: What goes in a baby book when you're on a starship?
1. Chapter 1: First Picture

**Baby Book - First Picture**

Captain James T Kirk turns toward the Science station. He has asked his Science Officer the same question three times now and has not received any response whatsoever. This is extremely odd. Spock is bent over one of the display panels on his console, his attention firmly fixed on whatever is being displayed there. Kirk rises from his command chair and crosses the few feet of deck to lean over Spock's shoulder to see what is so intriguing that his Science Officer is not even aware of his queries.

There on the display is something he cannot quite decipher - all in tones of grey and white on black. Streaks of light on the sides, some sort of blob in the middle - he tries to interpret it. Then the blob in the middle moves, turns, and he sees small limbs. "My God, Spock, what _is_ that?"

"That, Captain, is my son." There is something in Spock's voice that Jim has never heard before - that is definitely _emotion_.

"How?"

"Dr McCoy has patched it through from Sick Bay. I believe it is what they call a sonogram - some old Earth technology. Apparently he thought I would be interested in seeing it." Spock does not raise his head and continues to stare intently at the image before him.

"I take it Uhura is having her weekly checkup, then."

"You surmise correctly, Captain."

Jim watches a moment more, then makes another remark. "I assume you are recording this?"

"Recording?" Spock's head jerks around to look at his friend for the first time, then back to the image. "I could have been recording this." There is a very strange sound in his voice.

Jim backs away, presses his hand to the communications button on the arm of the command chair. "Kirk to Sick Bay. Come in Bones."

"I'm kinda busy here, Captain."

"Bones, you are recording the transmission you sent to the bridge, right?"

"Of course, but it's not for public broadcast, you idiot!"

"No, but our Science Officer is so _fascinated_ by what he's looking at that he_ forgot_ to record it himself." He hears laughter from speaker in his chair arm. Then a soft female voice.

"Thank you, Jim. I wish I could see that."

"Just get Bones to give you a copy to watch later on in your quarters. This is a sight not to be missed." Having done his good deed for the day, the captain settles himself down in his chair again, a broad smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 2 : Flutterings

**Baby Book - Flutterings**

He rises slowly from sleep - something has awakened him. He lays quietly, not to disturb her. She is on her left side, facing the wall, and he is curled around her, his front to her back. His right arm rests on her waist, his hand splayed across her belly. He feels the slow rise and fall of her breath - she still sleeps soundly.

What has awakened him? He checks his internal clock - he had expected to sleep another hour. He listens carefully, but hears nothing unusual - just the muted beat of the great engines and the faint sigh of the fans circulating air throughout the ship.

Gently he expands the bond to check on Nyota, but all he finds is peaceful sleep. She is not in pain or uncomfortable in any way, all muscles are relaxed and she is not even dreaming at this point.

He is perplexed. It is not like him to awaken for no reason before he has slept the expected amount of time.

And then he feels it. This must be what has awakened him. Light as the brush of a butterfly's wing, soft as a feather floating through the air - tiny, tiny little flutterings against his palm.


	3. Chapter 3 : Tummy

**Baby Book - Tummy**

She has finished her shower and is rubbing lotion into the skin of her very stretched-out tummy. He comes to the door of the bathroom and stands there looking at her. He has something in his hand, something small and electronic. She looks at him curiously. "What do you have there, Spock?"

"A camera."

"A camera? What are you going to do with it?"

"I wish to take a picture of your tummy."

Her jaw drops. "What? You want what?"

"I am sure you heard what I said, Nyota. Your pregnancy has not damaged your hearing."

"But why? Why would you want to take a picture of my poor stretched-out, bulgy tummy?"

"For two reasons."

"And those would be?"

"One reason is to have to show to our son."

Now she is _really_ in shock. "There is NO WAY that I am letting you take a picture of my tummy to show to our son! What are you thinking?"

"I have been told on good authority that human children wish to know where they have come from. I wish to provide evidence." He looks slightly puzzled. "Why do you find this objectionable?"

"Spock, parents do NOT show their children naked pictures of themselves! No way, no how!"

"Why?"

"They just DON'T! Not, not, not happening." She huffs a bit. "You said you had two reasons. What is the other one."

"I wish to add it to my collection."

"What collection?"

"My collection of pictures of you."

"You have a collection of pictures of me?" She pauses for a moment. "Well, I guess I know what one of them is." She grins at him.

His lips quirk up and his eyes gleam with amusement. "I am sure I know which picture you are referring to. That picture was the first one in my collection." He takes a step forward and lifts a hand to her cheek. "That was a very stimulating picture, k'diwa."

"What other pictures are in your collection?" When he doesn't answer, she speaks again. "Spock, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I have no objection." He goes into the bedroom and opens the bottom drawer, withdrawing a small leather box that she has never seen before from under some folded clothing. He brings her the box.

She looks at the box in her hand, then back up at him. "Are you sure you want me to look at these?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then." She lifts the lid of the box. There on top is the picture in the red folder that Gaila helped her with. She smiles a bit at the worn condition of the little red folder. He has looked at this picture many times. She carefully lifts it out of the box and sits it on top of the overturned lid. The next picture is one that she recognizes without any difficulty, because it has been on so many newscasts. It is the bridge crew of the Enterprise, lined up in a row at the presentation ceremony. Her smile fades a bit. That was _such_ a bad time. She lays this picture on top of the other. The next picture is one someone has taken in the rec room. Spock is playing his ka'athyra and she is singing, standing behind his chair with one hand resting lightly on his shoulder. She has never seen this picture before and looks at it in wonder. He is almost smiling. She wishes she had a copy of this picture. Under that is a picture from the formal reception at the Vulcan Embassy in San Francisco following their bonding ceremony. She is wearing the Vulcan robes that his father had given her. Then there is a picture from the reception at her parents' home in Africa, with all their friends around them.

She lifts her face to him, eyes shining brightly. "Oh, Spock, this is a lovely collection."

"And now I wish to add another picture to it."

"But Spock, you will not forget how I look."

"No, but I still wish to have a picture." He looks at her, almost pleading.

"Okay then, but wait. Let me pose." She goes to the closet and gets out a silk kimono-style robe and slips into it. Then she goes to the bed and stacks the pillows up against the wall at the head of the bed. She sits down and scoots backwards until she is leaning against the pillows, awkwardly folding her legs into her favorite meditation position. She ties the sash of the kimono above the bulge of her belly and slides the sides apart, so that her tummy is exposed, then pulls the bottom over her thighs and down between her legs, leaving only the round bulge of her tummy and her legs from the knees down exposed. She folds her hands and rests them on top of her tummy. "Okay, I'm ready."

He kneels at the foot of the bed and touches the controls on the small camera. Then he looks around the room, finally bringing a chair over to sit where he had been kneeling. Then he piles several books on the chair seat before placing the small camera on the improvised tripod. Then he comes to the head of the bed and kneels on the floor again, his face turned towards her, and splays his hand out over her tummy, then presses the remote button he holds in his other hand.

The smile on her face is wide and beautiful. "I think I like this picture best."


	4. Chapter 4: Baby Shower

**Baby Book - Baby Shower**

Spock wanted to get her supper and bring it back to their quarters, but she wanted to eat in the mess hall, even though her ankles were swollen and she was tired. She said she just wanted to walk down the hall, just a bit, and talk to a few of the people she didn't see now that she was not on the bridge every day. They didn't have to stay long, but she just wanted to get OUT. So he went along with her. Not that he could ever stand up to her when she got angry. He had never been able to. And after almost losing her to a very bad decision on his part, only corrected because of her anger, he paid a lot more attention to her wishes. Thinking about that decision to put her on the Farragut always made him shiver.

They walked slowly down the corridor. She had her hands clasped about his arm, using him for support. Her tummy preceded her - she bulged significantly. The added mass threw her balance off, and made her walk in a waddle. Dr McCoy told him that her pelvis bones were actually separating, but that this was normal and he was NOT to worry about it. But he did anyway. It was very logical to do so.

They reached the door to the mess hall and entered. As soon as they were inside, the room erupted. Balloons flew to the ceiling, paper streamers flew all around the room, confetti filled the air. He stopped in his tracks, his jaw dropping before he could suppress his reaction. Beside him, Nyota squealed and laughed. Everyone was laughing and yelling something at her. _Surprise_ _Shower_? He looked down at Nyota, who seemed to have forgotten she was tired. She was practically bouncing. He had no idea what was going on, but she liked it, so it must not be something that would distress her - but he needed to get her off of her feet.

Almost immediately, he saw that this was not going to be a problem, as Dr McCoy wheeled up one of sick bay autochairs, strangely decorated with paper streamers, with balloons tied on the back, and insisted that she sit in it. Then McCoy pushed her over to a small table set in the middle of the room. He followed behind, trying to figure out what was going on. Jim pushed him down into a chair beside Nyota, grinning from ear to ear. Whatever this was, everyone in the crew seemed to be in on it, except for the two of them.

Nurse Chapel appeared from the back of the mess hall, pushing a food cart laden with small packages wrapped in pastel blue paper. Nyota clapped her hands and giggled. He cocked his head and watched her. She was definitely enjoying this - whatever it was. Chapel parked the cart by Nyota's left elbow and handed over one of the small boxes. Then she sat down and pulled out a PADD and stylus. What was she going to write down?

Nyota took the small box, held it to her ear and shook it slightly, grinning widely. Then she carefully peeled the paper off. Stuck to the top of box under the paper was a small note. _Pavel_ was written on it. Nyota handed the note to Chapel. Then she opened the small box. Inside was the smallest command shirt he had ever seen. Nyota held it up for everyone to see. There were oohs and ahhs all over the room. Then Nyota handed the tiny shirt to him, smiling. He gingerly took the shirt - what was he supposed to do with it? Chapel was writing on her PADD.

Nyota took a small bag from the cart. Tied around the neck of the bag was a piece of heavy thread of some sort, with another small note attached to it. She untied the thread and opened the folded note. _Hikaru_. She opened the top of the bag and reached inside, drawing out a tiny replica of the Enterprise. She shook it and it chimed. She laughed. Chapel was writing again. Spock was totally confused. Nyota handed him the tiny Enterprise, grinning widely.

She took another box off the cart. This one was somewhat bigger. There was a medical chart stuck to the top, with_ Leonard _scrawled across it. She lifted the lid off the box and gasped. She unfolded a piece of soft blue fabric and held it up. In small neat stitches across the middle was the statement "Baby Boy S'chn T'gai". Nyota gathered it up to her face, tears glittering in her eyes. "Oh, Len, this is so nice!" She turned and spread it out on the table in front of him, her fingers lingering over the neat stitches. Spock reached out and touched the stitches in wonder. These were presents for their son? From the crew? Where had they gotten these things?

He sat there and watched Nyota open one box and bag after another, drawing out many small treasures. He eventually realized that most of these things had been made right here on the Enterprise. Their friends and crewmates had spent their limited free time creating these things, planning this party, just for them. He was flooded with emotions he still had trouble dealing with - these people loved Nyota, he knew that, but the amount of work and thought that had gone into this evening revealed more than that. He began to comprehend what Nyota had been trying to make him understand - that these people where an extension of their family, that they felt true affection for him, that they would cherish his son. It was overwhelming. He wished someone would take a picture of Nyota with all the small things about her, so that he could add it to his collection.


	5. Chapter 5: Monitor

Author's Note : 'Something Good' goes just before this one.

**_____________**

**Baby Book - Monitor**

"Spock, come back to bed."

"I am listening."

"You can't sit up all night every night listening to him breathe. Come to bed."

"His breathing is not even. I should listen - in case there is a problem."

"What do you mean his breathing is not even?"

Spock was quiet for a moment, then made several different small noises, very similar to the sniffles and snorts that his new son made while sleeping.

Nyota laughed softly. "He is new. He's not used to breathing yet. It will even out shortly. It isn't anything to be worried about. Come back to bed."

He sat where he was, on the floor next to the hand-carved wooden cradle. He watched his new son sleeping, the tiny chest moving up and down slowly. Once the small hands clenched, then relaxed again. The tiny mouth made little sucking motions, then relaxed. He was fascinated.

"Spock, I'm cold. Come warm me back up."

"I will bring you a blanket if you are cold. I would turn up the temperature control, but Dr McCoy has assured me that the current setting is the correct temperature for a new-born."

More quiet laughter. "I don't want a blanket. I want you, k'diwa. And you need sleep. You haven't gotten enough sleep this week." She was quiet a minute. "Watch him with your third eye."

Spock's head came up and turned towards her. "Third eye? I do not have a third eye, as you well know, Nyota."

Now she giggled. "When I was a small child, all of us thought our mothers had a third eye in the back of their heads so that they could watch us. They always seemed to know what we were doing that we shouldn't be."

"That is illogical."

"No, it's not. It's an instinct mothers have. And it's what I use to watch him while I sleep."

Now she had his attention. "You watch him while you sleep? Can you show me?"

"Come back to bed and I'll show you."

He rose from the floor and slid back into the bed, curling up around her. She sighed and wiggled against him, making herself comfortable. Her lovely round bottom pressed against him and he felt himself rising, not intentionally.

"Umm." She felt his hot length against her. She sighed softly.

"Sorry, k'diwa, I cannot help it." He rested his face against the side of hers. "It is not intentional. I know you must heal. And Dr McCoy has been extremely outspoken in what I cannot do until he has 'given you a clean bill of health'. "

"I can help."

"No. If you must wait, so will I. Just .... Be still a moment. Let me gain control."

She lay quietly in his arms, not moving, breathing evenly, slowly, giving him space to quell the desire, feeling him slowly subside.

"Now will you explain to me how you watch him while you sleep?"

"Okay, now just do what I tell you, okay? Can you hear him breathing? Just tune into that - listen to him. Now focus down, so that only a very small part of you is listening to him. Tell that little piece of your awareness to wake you up if he needs you. Okay?" She felt him nod against her. "Now let the rest of you go to sleep."

"You do this?"

"Every night since he was born."

"Tonight you shall just sleep and I shall be the baby monitor."

She giggled softly at him and settled into sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Midnight Feeding

**Baby Book - Midnight Feeding**

Soft cries woke him. Little hitches of breath, tiny sobs. He crossed the short distance to the wooden cradle and lifted his son into his arms. Feeling the warmth of his father's embrace, the small body relaxed, the sounds decreased.

He ran one finger gently down the side of his son's face. _What is the problem, little one? _Ah, wetness, hunger. He laid the small body carefully on the changing table and took care of the wetness. Then cradling the small body in his left arm again, he crossed back to the bed. Nyota rolled over facing him and took their son from him, pulling up the side of her large tee-shirt, actually_ his _tee-shirt, that she was wearing as a sleep shirt.

The small face rooted eagerly, finding the rosy brown nipple and latching on. Smacking and slurping sounds followed, the small fists clutching his mother's breast. Spock watched, fascinated. Nyota stroked the soft dark curls and crooned softly. He reached out with long fingers and caressed both mother and son. His family. His home. He was more contented than he had ever thought possible.


	7. Chapter 7: Kanga

**Baby Book - Kanga**

Nyota wanted to go for a walk. She was tired of being cooped up in their quarters. It had been two weeks since her son's birth and she was feeling so much better, almost free of the discomfort of healing tissues, but full of nervous energy. She _needed_ to go for a walk. But there was the question of that baby sleeping in the cradle. She couldn't just leave him there alone. And Spock was on the bridge, and would be for another two hours. But she wanted to go walking _now_.

She went to the dresser and started looking through drawers. In the fourth drawer she found what she was looking for. She drew out the brightly colored length of cloth, a gift from her Baba when she had left Africa for StarFleet Academy. Something to remember home by, he had said. It was just what she needed. She spread it out on the bed. Then she lifted her son up and laid him on the cloth, folding the sides up around him. She lifted him, one arm supporting him, and wrapped the cloth over her shoulder, around her back, under the other arm, twisting the ends together and tucking them in securely. The baby nestled up against her, his face next to her heart, sighed a bit and settled back into sleep. Smiling broadly, she exited to the corridor.

She prowled the ship's corridors, visiting places she hadn't been for several weeks. Everywhere she went, people came running to peek inside the folds of cloth at her sleeping son. Eventually she arrived at Sick Bay. Maybe she would just go in and sit down and visit with Len for a bit. She had been on her feet quite a while now. Walking through the door, she was instantly surrounded. She spent longer in sick bay than anticipated, showing off her son. But she did get to sit and rest while he was passed from hand to hand, everyone wanting a chance to cuddle the baby.

She got a glance at the chronometer on the wall and had an idea. Retrieving her baby and carefully stowing him back inside the sling she had improvised, she left sick bay, entered the turbolift at the end of the corridor and tapped the control that would bring her to the bridge. Spock's shift would be over in a few minutes. She grinned happily.

When the turbolift doors opened on the bridge, all eyes turned in her direction. There was an instantaneous surge towards her. Over and around the heads of her friends, she caught Spock's eyes. _ I'll get there in a minute_. She made a slow circuit of the bridge, letting everyone say hello to the sleeping baby. She finally made it to the Science Station, stopping in front of her baby's father, face shining, happy to be back on the bridge where she belonged.

Spock's eyebrow was raised quizzically. "What is that cloth that you have wound about you?"

"It's a kanga my Baba gave me. And it makes a perfect baby sling. He's been sleeping so peacefully and I had a nice walk."

Spock was looking at the way she had the cloth wrapped around her. He gently pulled aside the cloth and looked at the sleeping face of his son. Then he looked back at Nyota, question on his face. _May I? _Laughing, she carefully undid the twists securing the cloth and transferred the baby to his arms, throwing the cloth about him and re-securing it. He straightened up, tested the cloth to be sure it was not going to come apart, cushioning his son with one hand under the small body. The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. This was extremely acceptable.


	8. Chapter 8: Break

**Baby Book - Break**

"Captain, Lieutenant Uhura needs a break." The Vulcan Science Officer had not even lifted his head from his displays as he calmly addressed the captain.

Jim Kirk swiveled his head to look first at his friend and then at his Communications Officer, who looked a bit startled. She shook her head in denial.

"You are needed in Sick Bay." Came the quiet reply, quickly followed by an explanation. "He is hungry."

"Oh. Permission to leave the bridge for a break, Captain." She rose from her seat and crossed to the turbolift, pausing beside the open door, looking back over her shoulder.

"By all means, Lieutenant. Can't keep the youngest member of the crew of the Enterprise waiting." A broad grin creased his face. It was certainly good to have her back on the bridge. Even if she needed some strange breaks. He turned back to his Science Officer as the turbolift door closed. "And just how did you know that, Spock?"

"I watch him with my third eye, Captain."

_Third eye_? Was this some Vulcan _thing_ that he had never heard of before? Confused, Jim looked at his calm Vulcan friend. "Spock, you only have two eyes."

Spock turned to look back at him. "The lieutenant has shown me how to use my third eye. I was not aware of this capability until she explained it. Apparently on Earth, only women have it?" There was some question in his voice. At his captain's continued silence, he continued. "The eye in the back of the head that mothers use to watch their children misbehave?"

Spock couldn't understand why everyone on the bridge was trying to hide laughter. He raised one eyebrow and turned back to his displays. Humans, he would _never_ understand them.


	9. Chapter 9: Raspberries

**Baby Book - Raspberries**

Spock watched as Nyota did something he did not understand at all. She had just finished bathing their son and was now supposedly dressing him. However, she had her head bent over and was doing something with her mouth on the baby's stomach. And the baby was waving his hands wildly in the air and gurgling aloud. Once again he heard Nyota make some sort of strange noise on the skin of the baby's stomach, causing him to thrash about and make noises that sounded almost like laughter.

Curious he moved closer, leaning over Nyota's shoulder to see what she was doing. Her mouth moved over the skin on the stomach of that small body, making strange vibrating noises. She was giggling as well. Small arms and legs waved in the air, gleeful noises from the small mouth that was curved in a wide smile, so like her own.

"Nyota, what are you doing?"

"Blowing raspberries - and he loves it. Don't you want to try?" Laughing brown eyes turned towards him. She reached out and pulled him down beside her, his face only centimeters from his son's body. "Look, watch how I do it." Once again she moved her lips upon that small stomach, drawing forth the strange sounds.

This was not logical. But that look of pure joy on that little face. He yearned. He started to straighten up, to retain his dignity. Then changed his mind and bent down to nuzzle the small body. Tiny fists grabbed at him as his warmth was recognized. He pursed his lips, set them against the smooth skin and blew gently. Gleeful chortles rewarded him. Sometimes logic was not the best path.


	10. Chapter 10: Gifts From Home

**Baby Book - Gifts From Home**

He was about to leave the bridge at the end of his shift when the call came from the transporter deck.

"Commander Spock, there is something down here for you, sir."

"For me?"

"Yes, sir, from that freighter we hailed a while ago. A crate, plainly labeled with your name, sir. They just beamed it over here. Would it be possible for you to come and claim it?"

"On my way. Spock out." Odd. He had no idea what it might be or who would be sending him a crate.

When he walked through the door into the transporter deck he saw the crate sitting there. They had moved it off the pad, down to the floor. It was fairly large. He looked at the shipping information stenciled on the top of the crate. There was his full name in very large letters - no mistake there. And it had come from Earth - from Africa, apparently. Nyota's family must have sent her something, although why it was addressed to him, he wasn't sure. He found a strap-clamp and fastened it to the crate, picking it up by the strap and carrying it off down the corridor to the turbolift.

When he came into their quarters with the crate, Nyota was immediately intrigued. She also thought it was strange that it came from Africa but with his name on it. She insisted that he open it immediately, even though he thought she would be hungry and ready to head to the mess hall. He saw the bright kanga laid on the bed ready to carry their son. But no, she would wait for food, but not to see what was in the crate. So he found his tools and opened the crate.

He lifted the lid off and set it to one side. There was a layer of protective material across the top of the contents. That went down the recycle chute. Beneath that were many folded items. He lifted the first and unfolded the fabric. A small blue tee-shirt. Nyota exclaimed, taking it from him and smoothing it out. Next he found another, slightly larger. There were four sizes. Nyota laid them out on the bed, eager for him to pull out the next item. Socks - also blue, also in four sizes. Nyota sorted them on top of the tee-shirts. He held up the next item - pants with straps attached and some sort of flap at the top. Overalls, Nyota called them. Also four sizes, in a much darker blue than the tee-shirts.

He continued to pull small clothing out of the crate for Nyota to exclaim over, sorting it all out. Everything was in four sizes. There was a remarkable amount of clothing in that crate. Of course, it was all very small, so that it did not take much room.

Under the clothing, there was another layer of protective material. Below that were several small blankets, neatly folded, some small sheets, diapers. Small items which rattled when shaken. Something with small colorful objects tied to a circle of wood with long strings that Nyota exclaimed over, saying that he would need to afix it to the side rail of the cradle so that it hung over the baby's face. It was fascinating to watch her exclaim over the things that came out of that crate.

They were quite late to supper, but she did not seem to mind at all, telling all their friends about the crate of gifts from home.


	11. Chapter 11: Mobile

**Baby Book - Mobile**

Following Nyota's directions, Spock fastened the curved support rod to the side railing of the cradle. He tested it to be sure it was fastened securely and did not twist or tilt when it was subjected to small amounts of force in various directions. When he was satisfied, he set the round wooden hoop on the top and fastened the clip there. He carefully untwisted the strings hanging down so that each one was straight. There were small colorful objects on the ends of the strings. They hung several inches above where the baby's head would lay. He observed this _mobile_ from several directions. He could see that the brightly colored objects would attract attention, but he could still not see exactly what the purpose was.

Nyota brought their son over and laid him down in the cradle, under the dangling objects. Then she lightly touched the wooden hoop, making all the strings jiggle. This caused all the little objects to sway back and forth. Spock watched his son's eyes follow the movement. Ah, it was to increase eye tracking. Useful training for the small eyes.

The baby laid there, watching the movement. Soon it stopped and all the little items hung still. Small fussy noises. Nyota touched the wooden hoop again, so that everything wiggled again. Little eyes watched. Again the movement stopped. More fussing. But this time Nyota did not touch the wooden hoop. Spock raised one eyebrow at her, still she did nothing. He reached across the cradle, touched the wooden hoop, made the objects jiggle. Nyota grinned at him. The baby watched the bright items hanging above his face, one little arm reaching out, the fist clenched tight, waving in the air. Hmm.

Everything was still again. The tiny boy wiggled, waved arms, tensed up his face. Spock braced himself, expecting wails. Instead, a look of intense concentration on that tiny face, one arm waved high, the clenched fist almost brushing the bottom of the bright objects. A little noise of frustration. Spock watched, fascinated. Another wave of the arm, the little fist barely connected with one little dangling object, it swayed slightly. Now both little arms waved in the air, fists reaching, just brushing the danglers enough to make them barely move. Eye-hand coordination training, excellent. Spock approved.


	12. Chapter 12: Family Photo

**Baby Book - Family Photo**

Nyota was making a very strange demand on him. He could not quite understand why she was so insistent. "But Nyota, we have had several subspace calls to your parents since he was born and they have seen him each time. This is not logical."

"Spock, this is different. Yes, they have seen him, but this is so they can seen him any time they want to." She paused a moment, marshaling her thoughts. "So they can go back and see exactly how he looked at this age, any time they want." She looked straight in to his eyes. "Like _your_ photo collection."

"Oh. Well, I think I begin to understand." He thought a moment. "They will want a collection of pictures of him as he grows, then?"

"Yes, exactly. Now go get dressed."

"Nyota, why do I have to get dressed up so that you can take a picture of our son?"

She sighed, beginning to be irritated with him. "It's a _family _photo, okay?"

Knowing long before this stage in their relationship that he should _never_ cross her when she was angry, he quickly went to the closet and withdrew the clothing she had picked out for him. He shed his uniform and dressed in the dark, formal Vulcan robes with the line of rolling glyphs embroidered down the front in gold braid. When he turned back to her, she smiled at him, happy now. Much better.

She handed the baby to him, dressed in a tiny blue tee-shirt, navy overalls, blue socks. The colors went well with his soft coloring, not as dark a brown as Nyota, with just a tint of olive shading about him. His hair was as dark as Spock's but softly waved, ending in small curls about his tiny pointed ears. When his father lifted him up against his shoulder, cradling the small body in warm hands, the baby smiled and gurgled. Spock nuzzled his face against the smaller one, his lips quirked up happily.

Nyota turned away from the closet, her own clothing now changed for one of the bright garments she had purchased when they had last visited with her parents. She had tied her hair up, also, inside a tightly twisted cloth. She had added necklaces and bracelets of bright copper wire and beads. As always, she was beautiful.

She worked with the equipment she had borrowed from the Communications Lab, and then come to stand beside Spock, taking the small boy from him and turning him about so that he faced the camera. Spock took the small remote control from her and, when she was satisfied with their pose, pressed the control, causing a bright light to flash, startling the baby. Spock ran one long finger down the side of the baby's face, calming him.

"Oh, do take another picture, Spock. Just like this."


	13. Chapter 13: Grandparents

**Baby Book - Grandparents**

Alhamisi Uhura walked into the kitchen carrying a small package. "We have something from Spock and Nyota, M'Umbha. Would you like to open it?"

"My hands are all messy. Why don't you go ahead and open it and just show me?" She went back to her meal preparations while her husband worked on the seals of the small parcel.

When he had it open, he found a small frame, with control buttons on the side. He held it out where his wife could see the display panel and pressed the 'On' button. The panel lit up and there before them stood the new family, Spock tall and proud, dressed in his formal robes, Nyota, slender again, wearing a dress her mother remembered helping her pick out, and the small boy between them, cradled in their hands. One of Spock's long fingers caressed the side of Grayson's face and his lips were slightly quirked up at the edges. Grayson and Nyota both had wide smiles on their faces.

It was the most beautiful photo the proud grandparents had ever seen. After some time spent admiring it, they set it carefully on the kitchen table, where they could look it at while they ate supper, where it would be the first thing visitors would see.

****

S'chn T'gai Sarek held the small package that had been included in the latest diplomatic pouch. What was Spock sending him? He pressed the seals on the package and removed the protective outer wrapping. Inside he found a small frame with control buttons on the side. A holo, then. Curious, he pressed the 'On' button. The panel lit up and there before him stood his son with his bondmate and their new son.

Sarek felt a flood of emotion within. He struggled to retain his placid expression. This was his grandson, his and Amanda's. He wished devoutly that she was here beside him to see this. One long finger, so similar to his son's reached out to stroke the small face before him. Perhaps they would pass near enough to New Vulcan soon for him to arrange to hold that small body himself. Or perhaps he could arrange to be near where they would be?

He set the small frame on the side of desk where he could glance at it while he worked. Surely this small indulgence was allowed, even to a stoic Vulcan.


	14. Chapter 14: Hair, and Ears and Noses

**Baby Book - Hair, Ears and Noses**

Spock caught up with Nyota just as she exited the Pediatric Day Care center, Grayson tucked into the new baby carrier that her mother had sent. She had him turned so that he faced away from her. At the sight of his father, he began to wiggle and wave his arms in the air. Spock's lips quirked up at the corners and he raised one hand, letting the fingertips brush gently against his son's face. One small hand latched on his finger, clutching tightly.

"I thought we would eat in the Mess Hall tonight. He's wide awake - it would be a good time to let our friends interact with him." She was smiling widely.

"That is acceptable." He fell in beside her as they walked down the corridor, his finger still clutched tightly in his son's hand.

When they arrived at the Mess Hall, the bright lights and sounds of all the people talking and eating caused a spike of interest in the small boy. His head swiveled about, going from one group of people to another. Almost immediately, someone noticed them and yelled "Grayson!" All eyes turned in their direction. Before they were even completely inside the room, four people were in front of them, bent down, talking to their son. As he watched, Nyota lifted Grayson out of the baby carrier and handed him over to Ensign Chekov, who cooed at him and tickled his tummy, making the baby laugh out loud. Chekov took the baby over to a table and sat down with him, while Nyota headed for the food service line. He followed her, with only one glance back at their son, now surrounded by crew members.

When they had their trays filled and walked back to the table, they were met with the sight of the captain of their ship kneeling down on the floor, making silly faces at their son. Nyota had a very difficult time in suppressing her laughter. When Grayson's small hands reached out and grabbed Kirk's hair with both hands, she was unable to hold it in any longer. Kirk was trying futilely to remove his hair from the tight little grasp without injuring the small hands. His eyes were starting to water.

Spock leaned across the table, reaching one finger out to touch his son's face. _No, Grayson_. The small face turned in his direction, eyes wide. The little hands released their grip. Kirk moved back just enough to be out of reach, rubbing the top of his head.

"Wow, that kid's got quite a grip!"

"He has taken to grabbing things that get his attention. You need to be careful what gets within his reach." Nyota was still chuckling as she started to eat her supper.

"This is proper eye-hand coordination development for a child of his age. His interest is spreading beyond food and sleep." Spock's explanation was more scientific than Nyota's, but just as proud, nonetheless. He dropped his eyes to his food and had a forkful of rice pilaf on the way to his mouth when he heard a muffled exclamation. Lifting his eyes again, he saw Grayson's fingers clutching Lieutenant Sulu's nose tightly. Beside him, Nyota was convulsed with silent laughter.

Once again, Spock reached for his son with one finger. _No, Grayson_.

The small face turned only partially towards him this time, the little fingers reluctantly releasing the object of his interest. Sulu backed away, massaging his throbbing nose.

Spock raised one eyebrow. "You were warned." He scooped up another forkful of rice. This one actually made it into his mouth before he heard another loud exclamation.

"Ach, no, laddie, no' sae hard!" Chief Engineer Scott had apparently taken Grayson from Ensign Chekov and raised him high in the air, making the small boy squeal, and then lowered him to a broad shoulder for a hug. Unfortunately, this put little hands within grasping range of a rather large ear. Said ear was now in a death grip, causing no small amount of discomfort.

Spock could not reach him from where he sat and Nyota was clutching her stomach and laughing out loud. Spock sighed. "Grayson, NO!"

At the sound of his father's firm voice, the little hands released the tortured ear. Then the little face screwed up and a tiny sob escaped. The little back was patted by a large hand, but more sobs ensued. Scotty turned towards Spock and Nyota, plainly embarrassed. "I didna mean to cause a problem."

Nyota rose from the table and took the baby back, cuddling him. "He's just got to learn not to grab so hard. He's absolutely fascinated by differences right now. It's okay, Scotty. He'll calm down in a minute." She sat back down, the baby supported in her left arm, and tried to finish her supper. This became more difficult as people came up behind her to coo and tickle her son, who peeped over her shoulder in delight.

Perhaps trying to eat and socialize the baby at the same time had not been such a good idea.


	15. Chapter 15: Isometrics

**Baby Book - Isometrics**

Spock sat at his desk, trying to concentrate on his research. It was becoming harder and harder to ignore the sounds from the other room. They were obviously enjoying whatever it was that they were doing. Little giggles kept interrupting his train of thought. Finally he gave in and went to see what was going on.

Nyota was laying on the floor on her stomach, facing Grayson. Their son was also laying on his stomach, both hands flat on the floor, head and shoulders pushed up by his straightened arms. As Spock watched, the little arms wavered and he collapsed back onto his stomach. Nyota giggled at him and leaned over to kiss the little nose. This caused Grayson to giggle.

"Once more, now." She said, pushing herself up in much the same way Grayson had just a moment ago. The small face watched his mother intently, then the little arms were straightening out again, pushing the little shoulders up, the small face intent. When his head and shoulders were elevated again, a wide grin creased his face and he made a little crow of triumph.

Spock cocked his head. Was Nyota actually teaching Grayson to do pushups? Unable to resist, he found himself prone on the floor beside Nyota, looking his son in the face. Seeing his father's face, the small boy reached one hand forward and unbalanced, collapsing. The look of astonishment on his face made Spock struggle to maintain a calm demeanor. He tilted his head toward Nyota. "What are you doing?"

"It's exercise time. He's strengthening his muscles. You want to help?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Watch." She rolled Grayson over on his back, tickling just enough to make the small body wiggle. Then she took one small foot and placed it again the palm of her hand, pushing very gently. Grayson bent his knee and pushed his foot against his mother's hand, giggling loudly when she let him push her back with an exclamation. She alternated feet, giving both little legs a workout. "Now you try. Don't push too hard."

Spock laid one warm hand against his son's foot. Grayson started a bit at the change in temperature, then pushed hard against his father's hand, crowing. His little fists waved in the air. He obviously enjoyed this game. "Fascinating."

Beside him, Nyota smiled. She had been hoping to get Spock involved in this game for several days. "Okay, here's the next one." She sat up and reached for Grayson with both hands, letting him grasp her fingers. She gently lifted until the little arms were straight, then lifted just enough more that the little shoulders cleared the floor, lowering him back before his grip slackened. She leaned over his and made faces, making the baby giggle again. Then she lifted him once more.

When the baby's shoulders were once again resting on the floor, Spock moved his hands over and replaced Nyota's fingers with his own. Grayson grabbed hard around his father's fingers and focused hard when he was gently lifted again. Spock could feel the _determination_. He gently lowered the small body, then lifted again.

Nyota sat back on her heels, watching the two men in her life totally involved in their exercise session. She would certainly love to have a picture of this.

_______

Author's Note: For all those who have been requesting and encouraging me to continue this series: I intend to carry this series of drabbles clear up to where 'Pon Farr - Phase Two' takes place, then start a new one, probably 'Baby Book - Phase Two'. So there are two full years left to cover - lots and lots of drabbles :-)


	16. Chapter 16: Doctor Visit

**Baby Book - Doctor Visit**

Nyota stripped Grayson down to his diaper and sat him on the examining table, supporting him with her hands. He looked all about the room, eyes wide. Dr McCoy entered the room, came over the table, exclaiming at how much the baby had grown. He leaned down and tickled Grayson, making him laugh. He slid his hands under Nyota's, taking the baby and lifting him gently into the air. The little arms were waving happily about, and when the little legs were almost straight, the baby's feet pushed down firmly on the table and he began to bounce up and down. Bones had a difficult time holding on to the vigorously moving baby. "Dammit, I'm a doctor, not a bouncy chair."

One long arm reached across the doctor's shoulder and touched the small face. _Quiet now, Grayson._

The small arms and legs stopped moving, the lower lip pouched out just a bit, small slanted brows drawn together. Dark eyes looked at his father apprehensively. When he saw one eyebrow lift, then the corners of his father's mouth quirk upwards slightly, the small body relaxed, a grin on his face.

Bones laid the boy back on the examining table and ran his medical scanner over him, poking and prodding here and there. "Well, he's about as healthy as he could possibly be. And in the top percentile for height. Of course, both of you are tall, so that's really what I would expect. Maybe just a touch underweight for his height, but it's probably just skinny genes. Time for some vaccinations now. He isn't going to like this much." He picked up the hypospray and adjusted the dial. "I've got this set as gentle as it will go, but he'll probably still flinch and wail."

Nyota reached out, laid one hand over the baby's stomach, took the closest little wrist in her hand, rolling it so that the hand lay palm upward. Spock reached over her shoulder and laid his forefinger in the exact center of that little palm, his thumb resting against Nyota's wrist, carrying her presence along with his to that young mind. _Calm, Grayson. Peace, we are with you_.

There were a few sniffles, a brief sob, the lower lip pouched out again.

"Damn, I wish you could teach me that."

"If I thought you possessed the ability to learn it, I _would_ make the attempt, Doctor."

Muttering something about pointed green ears, Bones fished in a drawer and came up with a small pouch containing two small objects, which he handed to Nyota. "These contain a pediatric analgesic. If he gets fussy or a bit of a temperature, peel one of these and let him suck on it. If he gets really fussy or his temperature goes up more than two degrees, bring him back to sick bay, Okay?" He stood up, patted Nyota on the shoulder, leaned over to tickle Grayson once more and left the room.

Nyota redressed the baby and settled him back in the baby carrier she had strapped about her. Spock leaned over, nuzzled the small face, then straightened. He ran his fingers briefly over the back of Nyota's hand. "I must get back to the bridge. If you need help with him, contact me. Otherwise, I will fetch supper from the Mess Hall at shift end."

"Yes, I don't think it would be good to take him out tonight." She stood up, lifted her hand to Spock's face just for an instant, then turned to leave Sick Bay.

***

When Spock came into their quarters carrying supper, Grayson was sleeping soundly in his cradle, one of the soothers wobbling in his mouth as he sporadically sucked on it in his sleep. Nyota beckoned to him from the bedroom door. "He's going to sleep for a while. Set that down and get in here." He wasted no time. Private time was much harder to find than it had been.


	17. Chapter 17: Unexpected

Baby Book - Unexpected

Grayson is laying on a blanket in the middle of the living room floor, the small copy of the Enterprise clutched in his hands, waving it vigorously to make it chime. Every time he succeeds, he crows with laughter. Nyota sits cross-legged beside him, stretching and twisting. Spock stands just inside the doorway to their quarters, watching. They have not seen him yet. She still complains that her stomach muscles are not tight enough, but he disagrees. Her stomach muscles are quite strong. Perhaps she has a bit more roundness than before, but it is quite pleasing to him.

Grayson waves the rattle just a bit too hard and it flies from his hand across the room, landing at Spock's feet. The small boy's eyes follow the arc and see his father. Immediately, he begins to wave arms and legs energetically, babbling loudly. Spock stoops to retrieve the rattle and brings it across the room, kneeling down and holding it just far enough that Grayson will have to reach for it. Then he reaches across his son to fleetingly touch his wife's face before rising to set the tray of food he held in his other hand on the small table near the wall.

"You have to come and see what he's learned to do today."

Spock crossed back to where Nyota sat. She patted the floor beside her and he folded himself down. She leaned over and tugged at the edge of the blanket, pulling it around so that Grayson faced away from them. The energetic movements stopped. There was a small sound - frustration? Then the small head rolled in their direction. However, from the angle Nyota had placed him at, he could not see them. Small arms tensed, fists clenched. Small legs pulled toward his body. With a great heave, he rolled over onto his stomach, lifted his head and looked at them, grinning now. "babamama"

Spock cocked his head, looked at his son, looked at Nyota. "Is he speaking? Surely he is too young."

Nyota sat with her mouth open. "That was unexpected. It was the rolling over that I wanted you to see."

"He did roll over remarkably well." Spock was silent for a moment. "How do we determine whether he was actually speaking?"

"I don't know. Wait and see whether he does it again?" She was still watching their son in astonishment. "Let me try something." She rose from her sitting position and crossed the room, going through the door into the bedroom, out of sight. "Okay, now you get up and come in here."

Spock did as she had requested. They waited a moment, out of sight of their son.

"babamama!"

They poked their heads around the door jam. Grayson crowed with laughter.


	18. Chapter 18: Spoon

**Baby Book - Spoon**

Nyota sat cross legged on the floor, Grayson in her lap. She had her left hand supporting the back of his head. His feet kicked against her stomach. On the floor on her right side were two very small bowls, one containing something soft and white and the other something soft and very pale yellow. In her right hand she had a very, very small spoon.

Spock was very curious about what she was going to do, but he was pretending not to be interested at all. He had a lot of paperwork that needed doing.

Nyota dipped the spoon in the white stuff and put just a very small amount right on the tip of the spoon. She lifted the spoon and slipped it into Grayson's mouth when he laughed at the face she was making. Grayson's face puckered up. He pursed his lips and the white stuff oozed out between them. Nyota scraped the side of the spoon against the baby's face, scooping up the white stuff and sliding the spoon back into his mouth. Then she dipped the spoon into the pale yellow stuff and repeated her actions. This time Grayson's face looked more surprised and he did not eject whatever it was quite so fast.

In spite of himself, Spock was becoming quite absorbed in this action. What was she feeding him?

"You might as well quit trying to pretend you're not paying any attention and come down here." She said, laughter in her voice.

"How do you know I am pretending?" _Wait, that didn't come out right_.

She laughed out loud now. "Since when did anything new concerning your son not fascinate you?"

_Well, she did have a point there. _He abandoned his pretense of doing paperwork and settled down on the floor beside her. "What are you feeding him?"

"Ground rice and applesauce. Foods which nearly all babies can eat with no problems." She dipped the spoon again. This time as she touched the end of the spoon to his mouth, Grayson turned his face sideways, smearing rice across his cheek.

"Why did he do that?"

"Reflex. You've watched him nurse - you've seen how he turns his face when his cheek touches my breast to latch onto the nipple? Well, that's what he's doing here. It will take a bit of practice before he understands that the spoon is different. I should have gotten a damp cloth before I started." She used the spoon to scrape most of the cereal off the baby's face.

Spock got up, went into the bathroom, and shortly came back with a damp cloth. He settled back on the floor and leaned over to wipe the remnants of the rice cereal off his son's face. Then he sat back and watched Nyota talking to Grayson, making him laugh, and slipping tiny amounts of the soft foods into his mouth. The damp cloth was needed several more times.

"Do you want to try?"

He was not certain. Perhaps this was one task he would wait on. On the other hand, it was fascinating to watch his young son mastering new skills. He took the offered spoon and tilted it gently into Grayson's mouth. His son looked at him and spit, showering both parents with sticky rice. Perhaps he should have waited after all.


	19. Chapter 19: Messy

**Baby Book - Messy**

Nyota had some work she needed to do. She handed something to Spock. "Give this to Grayson so that I can have a few minutes undisturbed to finish this, okay?"

Spock took the small hard brown rectangle and looked it over. "What is this?"

"Teething biscuit." She already had her concentration on the PADD on her desk.

"He is not teething yet."

She sighed. "No, Spock, he isn't, but it will keep him quiet until I get this finished. Okay?"

She was getting irritated. Better to just do what she asked. An irritated Nyota was _not_ something he wanted to deal with. He knelt down on the floor beside his son, held out the small brown biscuit.

Little hands grabbed, latched on, brought the new object directly to his mouth. The expression on the small face changed. The eyes unfocused. The little mouth puckered up and sucked.

Spock could see the small muscles in Grayson's cheeks moving. He was obviously sucking on the biscuit, totally focused on it. Interesting. He stood back up and moved to his desk, sitting so that he could observe Grayson at the same time as the work on his desk.

For some time both parents worked quietly while their son worked at his biscuit, sucking on it, pulling it out of his mouth to wave it in the air, stabbing it back towards his mouth, not always successfully. In short order, his lower face was smeared with semi-dissolved biscuit.

When Nyota stretched her arms in the air and twisted about, sighing, signaling that she had finally finished the work she had brought down from the bridge at shift end, Spock tentatively addressed her. "Nyota, k'diwa, is he supposed to get that ... messy?"

She looked at her happy son and laughed. "Well, I don't know that 'supposed to' is exactly the right verb, but yes, it does work out that way."

"And the purpose of this teething biscuit? Besides keeping him occupied until you finish your work."

"When he starts to cut his teeth - which may be soon or in a few months, because it varies - they will bother him. Rubbing his gums against the biscuit will help the teeth to push through the gums."

"Is there not another object he could use for this purpose which would not be ... messy?"

Nyota laughed. Spock did like to keep things neat - usually. She tilted her head and looked at him through her eyelashes. "I know something you like very much which is quite ...messy."

Spock reconsidered.


	20. Chapter 20: Throwing Arm

**Baby Book - Throwing Arm**

Nyota had Grayson sitting on her left leg, her left arm around his stomach. She was bouncing her leg up and down gently while she wrote on her PADD. Grayson had the small chiming Enterprise in his hand and was waving it about vigorously, making it chime repeatedly. Spock sat on the other side of the desk, updating crew schedules on the com link. Grayson stuck his toy in his mouth, chewed on it for a moment, slobbered all over it, then pulled it out of his mouth, looked at it for a moment and then threw it across the room, narrowly missing his father's head. Spock jerked up, startled. Grayson immediately let out a loud yowl. Nyota sighed.

"Can you get that and wash it off, please? I'm almost done here and I really would like to finish." She smiled at Spock apologetically. He stood up, retrieved the toy, took it into the bathroom and rinsed it off, then brought it back to his son. Grayson grabbed it and immediately stuck it back in his mouth.

Spock sat back down and began to rearrange the schedules again. There had been an outbreak of some weird flu-like illness following the last batch of shore leave and a number of key personnel were affected. It was necessary to juggle several different schedules in order to provide cover for them. Dr McCoy had said they would be on medical leave for about a week. He found himself flinching as the toy came sailing past his ear again. With a sigh, he got up and retrieved it again. After washing it, he handed it back to his son.

Nyota jiggled her leg a little harder - maybe that would distract him. She began to hum - sometimes that kept her son focused on her. She _really_ needed to finish this report. Grayson took his slobbery wet toy out of his mouth and jammed it in her ear, making her jump. "Gah, Grayson, don't _do_ that."

Grayson smiled and babbled at her. "mamamamama"

"Yes, Mama told you not to stick your wet toy in her ear, that's right." she tried to focus on what she was doing.

Grayson looked across the table at his father, who was not paying any attention to him. "bababababa"

"Yes, Grayson, I am here also." Spock's eyes never left the display before him.

"mamababa!" Grayson yelled loudly and threw the toy across the room again.

"Oh, for heavens sake, Grayson!" Nyota was running out of patience. Spock got up and retrieved the toy again. He had just returned it to Grayson and was attempting to remember where he had left off when the door chime sounded. He sighed. "Come."

The door slid open and Jim entered. "Uhura, do you have that report finished ye......" He broke off suddenly as the tiny Enterprise smacked him in the face before he could get his hands up to intercept it. "Damn, that boy has some throwing arm!"

Nyota dissolved in helpless giggles. "Why don't you keep him occupied for a few minutes so that we can get this work finished." She handed her son off to the captain and tried not to pay any attention to his repeated trips back and forth to retrieve the toy, wash it off, and give it back to Grayson. When she finished her report and signed it, Jim was greatly relieved to give her back the wiggly baby and leave quickly, taking the report with him. She didn't dare tell him that he had a very red Enterprise-shaped mark on his left cheek.


	21. Chapter 21: Pivot

**Baby Book - Pivot**

Spock was watching his son in puzzlement. Grayson was laying on the floor on the bright cloth that Nyota often put down for him. He was on his back, but he was not laying still. He was pushing against the floor with his feet, moving his body around in a circle, using the back of his head as a pivot. He would give a push and move a short distance, stop, wave his arms and legs in the air and giggle, then put his feet down and push again. Spock could see no purpose to this activity - Grayson was not covering any significant amount of space, certainly since his head remained in the same spot. However, he seemed to be enjoying it tremendously. While Spock watched, Grayson gave another push and surged to the side again. The cloth he was laying on was beginning to be quite wrinkled.

Spock hesitated. He greatly desired to straighten out the cloth, to remove the wrinkles and make it neat again. However, Grayson was truly enjoying his activity - and it would just get wrinkled again in very short order. He was torn between straightening and leaving it as it was. This was a dilemma.

As he sat staring at his son, trying to decide what to do, Nyota came back into the room. She looked down at Grayson and smiled. She bent over and tugged at the corner of the cloth, pulling the wrinkles out, then tickled her son on the tummy briefly, making him chortle and grab at her arm with both arms and legs. Then she stood up and continued on her way towards the door. "I'll be back from the gym in an hour, okay?"

"Yes, I will watch him. Enjoy your workout." He looked back at his son, spinning on the floor, remembering the day that he had taught Nyota to spin on the balls of her feet, there in that clearing by the cabin, the first time they had gone away for a weekend together. He paused, then continued, lifting his head to look at her. "Perhaps next week we could allow one of those people who keep begging to be allowed to babysit to care for him during your physical conditioning so that we could spar together? It has been a great while."

She came back across the room, molding herself against him. "Oh, Spock, I would love that. Thank you so much for suggesting it. I will line people up." She stretched up to kiss him, then moved her lips to his ear, breathing on him, then nipping lightly at the side of his ear. "You know I love to dance with you." She gave him a brilliant smile and then headed out the door.

He regarded his son, a faint smile on his face. It seemed they both enjoyed spinning.


	22. Chapter 22: Fingers and Toes

**Baby Book - Fingers and Toes**

Grayson lay on his back on the floor, hands held up before his face. The little fingers were spread apart and the baby's eyes were focused intently on them. As Spock watched, the work on his desk totally forgotten, one little finger was sucked into Grayson's mouth. Slurping noisily for a moment, the finger then popped out and was held up again. One tiny finger of the other hand touched the wet finger, then the dry one beside it. The tiny brows drew together slightly. Spock thought it looked like Grayson was comparing the texture difference. Surely he was too young for that sort of analysis.

Nyota swept through the room, arms full of laundry. She bent down quickly and tickled Grayson's tummy, whispering "I love you" before straightening up and going on into the bedroom. Grayson's arms and legs waved wildly as he tried to catch her swinging hair. Catching sight of his own feet when his mother's hair swept out of his grasp, he crowed with delight and grabbed out, trying to catch them.

Spock sat at his desk, fascinated, watching his son's new discovery. Grayson now had a foot in each hand, trying to bring them to his face. He was bent into a "U" shape, rocking about, chortling happily. With a hard kick, he released one foot and grabbed the other with both hands, pulling it hard towards his face and managed to stick one toe in his mouth. Noisy slurps sounded again. Now the toe popped out and Grayson regarded it closely. Then he let go of the toe and stuck his fingers back in his mouth.

Nyota came up behind Spock and brushed her lips against the back of his neck. "What are you watching so intently?"

"Have you been watching Grayson? He is tasting his fingers and toes."

"Yes, he's been doing that the last couple of days. Most babies do, about this age."

"He does seem to prefer his fingers. Is there any particular reason for that?" Spock was curious.

"Well, I imagine he takes after his father." Nyota giggled.

Spock titled his head and looked at her, one eyebrow raised. Nyota slid around him, seating herself in his lap, and took one warm hand in both of hers. She raised that hand to her mouth and sucked the first finger in slowly. Spock growled softly at her. She smiled around his fingertip, lightly caressing it with her tongue.

"I think I understand now - more sensors in the fingertips." Spock's voice was soft and low. "But perhaps it would be better to wait until he is asleep before you continue with your explanation."

Nyota laughed softly at him. "But I didn't even try your toes yet."


	23. Chapter 23: Baby Proofing

**Baby Book - Baby Proofing**

Nyota had propped Grayson up with two small pillows, so that he could sit while she fed him. Now he was playing with his toes, leaning over and pinching them with his fingers. This seemed to be very fascinating to him. When she came back with the washcloth to clean up his face, he wiggled and twisted his head away from her.

"Don't want your face washed, today, huh? Well, guess what, little boy, it gets washed_ anyway_." She tickled him and made faces, getting him to respond to her while she cleaned all the traces of cereal and fruit off his face. Then she placed several toys close enough to him that he could reach them and went to rinse out the washcloth.

She came back into the living room and sat down at the desk to finish her work, leaving Grayson to play on the floor. She could hear him babbling and shaking his rattle while she worked.

After a few minutes, she heard the door to their quarters open, but did not look up from her nearly finished work, knowing through their link that it was Spock, back from the mess hall with their dinner. Footsteps approached her, then stopped. After a moment, when no food appeared in front of her, she sensed _surprise_ through the link and looked up. Spock was totally focused on their son, the food in his hands entirely forgotten. She looked over and saw that Grayson had managed to grab one of the small pillows that had been supporting him and was now chewing on one corner. He was rocking back and forth and chortling happily with nothing behind his back to support him.

"He's sitting up all by himself!"

"Yes. I have not seen him do this before."

"I think it's the first time. It must be time to take a new picture for the grandparents." She smiled. "He grows so quickly. He'll be crawling around before we know it. Guess it's time to think about baby-proofing our quarters."

"Baby-proofing?"

"Yes, putting anything breakable up out of his reach, being sure anything he might stick his fingers in is covered, stuff like that."

"I had not considered this. Can we not just tell him not to touch these things?" Spock cocked his head and looked at her, questioning.

"No, k'diwa, it doesn't work like that. Babies just don't listen - they're too full of curiosity."

About that time Grayson lost his balance and tipped over onto the floor, letting out a squall. Spock set the food down on the desk and picked up his son, patting him on the back and running a finger down the side of his face to sooth him.

He sat down at the desk and began to open the food containers. Grayson reached over and grabbed the edge of the nearest container and pulled it toward him, spilling noodles all over himself and his father. Spock looked at his wife, who was bent over double, laughing so hard tears were coming out of her eyes. "Perhaps we have delayed too long in this 'baby-proofing."


	24. Chapter 24: Teething

**Baby Book - Teething**

Nyota walked about the living area, Grayson on her shoulder. She jiggled him, patted his back, sung softly to him. Nothing worked, he just kept fussing. When she had picked him up at the Pediatric Day Care Center an hour ago, they had said that he had been this way all day. And drooling continuously. He must be cutting a tooth. She turned him about in her arms and slipped a finger into his mouth, rubbing across his gums. He bit down on her finger, rubbing his sore gums. Yes, she could feel a hard, sharp edge there in his gum. Poor baby, he was in for months of this.

She offered him one of the teething biscuits he normally liked to suck on, but he just turned his head and fussed some more. She jiggled him again, making one more circuit of the room. By the time Spock got out of that meeting she was going to be exhausted. She couldn't imagine how she was ever going to get him to sleep tonight.

She offered Grayson one of his toys, but he just threw it on the floor, shrieking at her. She rubbed her ear - she would have to remember not to offer him anything else while his face was right next to her ear!

She went to the mini-replicator and thought hard - what could she offer him that might help? Maybe - humm.

When Spock entered their quarters fifteen minutes later, he stopped in astonishment. His son sat in the middle of his floor blanket, the lower part of his face bright purple, some sort of round object with a stick in the end clutched firmly in his little hand and jabbed in his mouth. Nyota sat on the couch, slumped tiredly. He raised one eyebrow at her in question.

"Popsicle." At his blank look, she continued. "well, I guess you probably never had one, did you? Frozen sweet flavored water. Numbs his sore gums. I didn't think of it until I had walked him around for an hour with him fussing in my ear. I left a note with the settings on it on top of the replicator for you. I have a feeling we're going to making a lot of them over the next few months." she sat quietly for a few more minutes while Spock watched his son noisily sucking on the cold confection. "Oh, and be careful about your fingers - he likes to bite now."


	25. Chapter 25: Tummy Wiggles

**Baby Book - Tummy Wiggles**

Today Nyota has a staff meeting, so Spock picks Grayson up from the Pediatric Day Care Center. Grayson is ecstatic to see his father, wiggling all over and babbling at him. Spock picks him up and settles him into the baby carrier against his chest, facing out so that Grayson can laugh and wave at people in the hall. Slowly they make their way home, as Grayson must interact with everyone he sees who is not hurrying about on an errand - and even some of those.

When he arrives at their quarters, Spock lifts Grayson out of the baby carrier and sits him on the floor. He gets out the bright floor cloth and spreads it on the floor, then moves Grayson to the exact center of the cloth, placing three toys equidistant from the small boy on the cloth in front of him. Then he goes into the bedroom and removes his uniform, hanging it neatly in the closet to wear again the next day. He puts on a dark tee-shirt and loose pants and goes back into the living room. Grayson is sitting on the cloth, one of the toys in his mouth, rocking back and forth, babbling to himself. When he sees his father again, he lifts his arms, going "babababa", but Spock does not pick him up this time. Instead, he seats himself near Grayson and folds his body into his favorite meditation pose.

Grayson eyes his father. He leans over, his hands on the floor, and tries to reach him, but they are too far apart. Spock closes his eyes and goes through a relaxation exercise, knowing that if Grayson makes any loud noise he will immediately come to full awareness. One small part of his awareness is focused intently on his son, even as he enters a light trance.

Grayson _wants_ to be close to his father. They have not played together yet today. Although his father would not call it playing, it seems so to the small boy. He leans over further, until his tummy touches the floor. He wiggles and squirms until he has his legs free. Now he is on his tummy, arms and legs in the air, waving wildly. His mother, if she were here, would probably laugh and compare him to a beached whale.

Since Grayson is still laughing and babbling contentedly, Spock does not rouse.

Grayson reaches out for his father, but the distance is still too great. He wiggles, he kicks, he waves his arms, but he is balanced on his tummy and does not move any further forward. He begins to get frustrated. Now his laughing changes to grunts of determination.

This is still not anything that alarms Spock, so he continues to meditate.

Now Grayson is very determined. He _truly _wants his father. He puts his hands down on the floor and pushes, hard. He moves forward just a small amount. He wiggles more. He is no longer babbling. He pushes against the floor again. He is so focused, so determined, that he does not hear the door swoosh open or see his mother enter the room. He pushes again and flails out with his hands, succeeding in grasping his father's toes.

Spock's eyes fly open and he looks down at his son in astonishment. Hearing a gasp, he looks up to see Nyota standing there watching. He looks back at his son again. "He was sitting in the middle of the floor cloth. How did he get over here?"


	26. Chapter 26: Bathtime

**Baby Book - Bathtime**

Spock tapped the touchplate outside their quarters, but stopped in the open doorway in consternation. There were a number of people in the room that he did not know and they were moving furniture and -_ cutting a hole in the wall_?

He looked around. _Where was Nyota_? He cocked his head at the sound of her voice, then moved in that direction. She was in their bedroom, arguing with someone. _What was going on_?

"I don't care _what_ your orders say! This was not authorized!"

He stepped into the bedroom to see Nyota, holding Grayson, blocking the entrance to their bathroom. Two men stood in front of her, various tools in their hands. "Excuse me, gentlemen, could you please inform me of what is going on?"

The two men turned to him, looked at each other. One of them finally spoke. "Well, sir, we were supposed to have this finished before the two of you got off shift today, but the orders didn't come through on time and we got backed up and.." He tapered off at the look on Spock's face.

"What exactly is it that you were supposed to have finished?"

"Uh, the alterations to your quarters, sir."

"Alterations?" He looked at Nyota, puzzled.

"I certainly don't know anything about any alterations. I was just about to give Grayson his bath when these guys barged in." Nyota was upset, clearly. As he knew how she usually gave Grayson his bath, he became somewhat upset as well. Had these men just entered their quarters without permission?

He looked back at the men. "I would like a full and complete explanation immediately. There are no planned alterations to our quarters. Certainly none that we know anything about."

"Well, we got orders, sir. Here." He held out a PADD.

Spock took the PADD and scanned the contents. Definitely orders. Definitely for their quarters. Hmmm. These alterations were interesting. He stepped around the men to show the PADD to Nyota. She read through and then looked up to him. "Well, I don't have any objection to most of that, but who ordered it without consulting us?"

He scanned through the work orders, looking for signatures. Nothing. Finally, way at the end of file, he found a tiny note. "Happy anniversary. Jim." He showed it to Nyota.

"Oh, how like him this is. He always goes off half-cocked. But they can't mess up our only bathroom now - work shift is almost over."

"Excuse me, ma'm, but the bathroom in the other half is all finished." That was the other man.

"Other half?"

"Yes, ma'm, come, I'll show you." He led the way through the new hole in the living room wall, into a good size room with several door opening off of it. "Here's the two new bedrooms, and there's a bathroom between them. This is for the kids. I think this room we're in is designated as a playroom. The only thing we have left to do in here is finish this door. That and the renovations to the master bath and we're all done."

Nyota opened the door on the left to a small room containing a dresser and a small bed. She went to the door on the right and found an identical room. Then she opened the middle door and found a nice bathroom with a real bathtub in it. She grinned in delight. "A tub! Oh, it's going to be so much easier to bath Grayson now. I like this!"

Spock looked back at the two workmen. "How long is it going to take to finish the remainder of the work?"

"About an hour, sir. Then we'll be out of your hair. This bathroom is all finished if you want to give that kid his bath." The workman grinned as Nyota turned on the water. Soon Grayson was sitting in warm shallow water, splashing and grinning.

Later, after Grayson was sleeping in his new bedroom, Spock turned to Nyota. "Have you seen the renovations to _our _bathroom yet?"

"No." She looked at him, seeing the corners of his mouth turned up. "I think maybe I'm interested in doing that right now, though." She walked through their bedroom and opened the door to the bathroom, which he had closed after the workmen finished. "Oh, my! I'm going to kill Jim! But first.." She turned to him with a wicked grin on her face. "We're going to get right in that hot tub and have some FUN!"


	27. Chapter 27: Babysitting

**Baby Book - Babysitting**

When the door chime sounded, Nyota turned to Spock and said "That must be Pavel. You want to give him some last minute instructions while I finish dressing?"

Although Spock did not know of any last minute instructions that needed to be given to the young man who was Grayson's favorite babysitter, he crossed the room to let him in.

When Grayson saw who was coming in the door, he let out a loud crow of welcome. "Pabel!" Up on hands and knees, he rocked back and forth excitedly. Chekov immediately got down on the floor beside him and started making faces and talking to him in Russian.

Nyota came out of the bedroom, dressed in her workout clothes. "Oh, hi, Pavel, we're ready to go know. Should be back in an hour or so. He's had his supper already, so don't get too rambunctious with him or you'll have a mess to clean up." She grinned at the curly-haired young man, now on hands and knees like the baby, and headed for the door.

Once the door had closed behind the baby's parents, the fun began. Pavel put his face down at Grayson's level and made faces at the baby, rewarded by gales of laughter. Then he rolled Grayson over and tickled him and blew raspberries on his tummy while the baby waved his arms and legs and chortled happily. Then he lifted Grayson up in his arms and 'flew' him about the room. An extended game of peek-a-boo followed that. Then Pavel sat on the couch with Grayson perched on his knee and bounced him up and down, chattering animatedly to him the whole time.

***

When Spock and Nyota returned from their sparring session in the gym, they found the two, exhausted, asleep on the floor.


	28. Chapter 28:Serenade

**Baby Book - Serenade**

Spock sat on the couch, his ka'athyra braced on his left thigh, leaning against his right shoulder, the long curved neck extending into the air. His hands strummed across the strings, checking the tuning. On the floor, Grayson stopped his babbling at the toy clutched in his hand and turned his head towards his father. "babababa!"

"Yes, Grayson, Baba's going to play for us." Nyota swept her son up in her arms and settled down on the other end of the couch, giving Spock plenty of room, keeping Grayson out of the reach of the lovely instrument.

Spock's lips quirked up as he glanced at the eager looks on the faces of his wife and son. An appreciative audience was quite acceptable. Considering several pieces, he made his choice and his fingers began to caress the strings, pulling long, rolling sounds from them.

He played several pieces before he selected one that he knew Nyota loved to sing. When she heard the opening chords, she smiled widely at him and then opened her mouth and let her lovely voice rise in accompaniment to his playing. On her lap, Grayson rocked back and forth excitedly. When she came to the rollicking chorus, there was an extra amount of sound - Grayson had joined in. Both parents looked at him in astonishment, playing and singing faltering for a moment, then quickly commencing again. Although the words coming from the small mouth were almost indecipherable, it was very obvious that the small boy knew this song and loved it.

When the song was finished, Spock laid his hand flat on the strings, muting them. "Did you know that he could sing?" he asked in absolute fascination.

"No way! That was totally unexpected. Do you think he's learned any others?"

Spock tilted his head to one side, considering, then began plucking the strings in another song that he knew Grayson liked. The small body jiggled in glee, happy sounds bursting forth. It seems the family now had two singers.


	29. Chapter 29:Rocking With The Beat

**Baby Book - Rocking With The Beat**

Nyota had work to do and this was the first chance she had had. She went to the music rack and selected a disc with good bouncy music on it - good music to work to. She sat Grayson down on his floor cloth with some toys and got to it. She opened up the bottom drawer of the dresser and took out the piles of little clothes that were still too big for Grayson. Shoving the drawer shut with her foot she carried the clothing into Grayson's new bedroom and put them in the dresser there. Then she went back and got the clothing that Grayson had already out-grown and carried those things into the new unused bedroom and stored them in that dresser.

As she entered the living room again, she saw Grayson rocking back and forth on his floor cloth, shaking his arms in time to the music, babbling merrily. She bent down and kissed the top of his head as she passed on her way to the dresser to gather up the clothing that he was currently wearing to carry it into his new room.

Once she had all the clothing moved, she carried the baby carrier and other things belonging to Grayson and put them either in his room, or in the new playroom that all the other new rooms opened off of. Almost finished.

Back in the now master bedroom, she rearranged the drawers so that they were not so crowded. All done.

Back into the living room she went, plucked her smiling son up off the floor, grabbed the corner of the floor cloth and walked into the playroom. She spread the floor cloth out again, and plopped Grayson back down. He wiggled and rocked and babbled at her as she laughed at how happy he was and how much he liked the bouncy music that she was playing. She knelt down beside him, swaying to the music. She remembered the times she used to go dancing with Gaila - those had been good times. But these were good times, too.

Grayson was waving his arms wildly at her, babbling "mamamamama." She reached over and slid her hands around his ribcage, lifting him up until his feet touched the floor and she held him suspended upright. He screamed in glee and bent his knees, bouncing. She swayed back and forth with him, dancing in place, smiling and laughing at his antics. He bounced, he swung his arms, he laughed. Oh, he was having so much fun!

Spock entered their quarters and heard the peals of laughter coming from the new part of their quarters. After that tedious after-shift meeting that laughter sounded so good. Some of his tired irritation sloughed off. He set the food he had brought from the mess hall on the table and crossed to the door between the sections of their quarters. He stood there, watching his wife and son dancing together, his lips quirked up at the corners. Ah, life was good. Very good indeed.


	30. Chapter 30: Crawling

**Baby Book - Crawling**

They were trying something new. Supper was finished, the last report that needed finishing was done, it was time for meditation. Grayson was slowing down, hopefully he would sit quietly between them and play while they meditated. They folded down beside the bright floor cloth that Grayson sat on and started their relaxation exercise. There was nothing in this room that Grayson could pull over or hurt himself with, and they would quickly rouse if he made any unusual noise.

Grayson watched his parents do that thing they did where they did not laugh at him or talk to him. They both had their eyes closed. He _wanted_ them to pay attention to him. He babbled at them. No response. Louder - "babamama!" Still nothing. He waved his rattle, making a great chiming sound. No, they were _still_ not paying any attention to him. He banged another toy on the floor as hard as he could, making a lovely loud sound. But that didn't help either. Now he was beginning to get frustrated. It was time for a cuddle.

He leaned forward and put his hands on the floor. The toys he was clutching got in the way, so he dropped them. He wiggled and squirmed until he got his legs out from under himself and could raise up onto his hands and knees. Now he rocked back and forth. Unfortunately, he was not close enough to his parents to reach either one of them. They sat serenely in front of him, paying him absolutely no attention.

With great determination, he reached forward with one hand, placing it on the floor before him. Then he leaned forward, moving the second hand beside the first. Now he was stretched out more than really felt comfortable, so he brought first one and then the other knee forward. He crowed with laughter over this new thing he was doing, but he still could not reach his parents. Again he moved his hands, then his knees, slowly approaching them. After several iterations of these movements, he was close enough that he was able to pat his mother's toes with his hand. He flopped down on his belly and grabbed his father's toes with his other hand. Then he chortled with glee. He had them!

Two sets of startled eyes looked down at their son, not sure how he had gotten where he was.


	31. Chapter 31:Going For A Ride

**Baby Book - Going for a Ride**

Grayson had been asleep when Pavel arrived to babysit. Spock and Nyota were going to the gym to spar again and the only time they were free to go was during Grayson's nap. Pavel really preferred to take care of Grayson when he was awake, but he couldn't turn them down, so here he sat, reading one of Spock's technical journals, hoping Grayson would wake up before they got back.

When he heard babbling noises coming from the direction of Grayson's bedroom, he leaped off the couch and ran into the other room, greeting the child with a wide smile.

"Pabel! Pabel!" Grayson waved his arms wildly, grinning widely. Pavel was his favorite babysitter.

Pavel quickly changed Grayson's wet diaper and then picked him up from inside the cage Spock had built around the small bed. He sat Grayson on his shoulders, the short legs dangling down onto his chest. He held the little boy tightly around his waist as Grayson crowed with delight. Pavel walked out into the playroom and then ran quickly around the room, Grayson wiggling and squirming, laughing loudly. This was a fun game.

Pavel circled around the whole apartment, chattering animatedly to Grayson in Russian the whole time. These two had so much fun together. Then Pavel had a great idea. He would take Grayson to see his parents sparring. Out into the corridor he went, down to the turbolift. Grayson was delighted.

Pavel ducked down when he entered the turbolift, careful not to bump Grayson's head. He punched the buttons for the gym deck. Down the turbolift went, causing a swooping sensation in Grayson's tummy. He chortled, banging his hands on the top of Pavel's head. Pavel winced - this little boy was strong - after all, he was one quarter Vulcan. "Carewul, Grayson. Not so hard."

Grayson leaned down and hugged Pavel's head, more careful. He patted his friend's cheek with one little hand, making little crooning noises. Pavel smiled up at him, all forgiven.

The doors to the turbolift opened and Pavel ducked down again, exiting to the corridor. Off they went down the hall to the small gym where Spock and Nyota sparred. There was an observation window set in the wall and Pavel stopped there, not going into the room to disturb them as they danced about each other, twisting and spinning. There were several other people there watching, as well.

Grayson was excited - not only could he see his parents, but here were several other friends, as well. He wiggled and squirmed and bounced on Pavel's shoulders. He laughed and clapped his hands. "mamababa! Pabel! Jeem!" This was one happy baby. He babbled happily at everyone watching his parents, getting lots of attention.

When Spock and Nyota finished their kata and picked up their water bottles, they were astonished to see their son on the other side of the window, bouncing up and down on Ensign Chekov's shoulders. Spock was very much afraid that Grayson was going to be demanding just that sort of highly illogical transportation from him, also.


	32. Chapter 32:Gate

**Baby Book - Gate**

Grayson sat on his floor cloth and watched his father. He could not determine what he was doing. Something that made loud noises. Pabel was helping. And the man who talked so funny but had the wonderful laugh. They were doing something in the doorway between _this_ pace and that other place where mama and baba spent so much time. It was interesting, but those loud noises were startling. Where was mama? She wasn't here with him and he was getting hungry. "mamababa!"

Pavel turned to Grayson, not releasing the odd mechanism he was supporting while Scotty and Spock hammered at it. "Mama's coming, Grayson. Baba's busy right now."

Grayson rocked back and forth, chewing on his fingers. His little tummy was growling now. "mama! Ongee."

Pavel said something to Spock and carefully let go of the crosspiece he had been supporting, crossing to the replicator, punching some buttons, then crossing to where Grayson sat, bending down to hand Grayson one of the rectangular brown biscuits.

Grayson grabbed it and jammed it in his mouth, sucking hungrily. He grinned at Pavel around the biscuit. Pavel ruffled his hair and then went back to help the other men again.

In just a few minutes, the construction effort was finished. The men lifted the new gate and set it into the doorway between the two rooms. While Pavel held it in position, the other two attached fasteners to the doorframe and the gate to secure them together, first on one side of the door frame, and then on the other. Then they all stood back to admire their handiwork.

Grayson leaned over with his hands on the floor and tried to figure out what this strange thing was. Rocking back and forth, he finally decided to advance on it. While the men watched, he crawled steadily across the floor until he was right up against the gate. He put out one hand and pushed against it. It did not budge. He leaned against it, but it still didn't budge. He plopped down on his bottom, startled. He could see baba and Pabel and the other man, but he couldn't get to them. He wasn't sure he was happy about that. He rocked back and forth on his round bottom, thinking. Then he grabbed onto the gate with one hand and pulled. It did not budge. He stuck out his bottom lip. He did not like this _thing_.

Spock watched his son trying to figure out what the gate was and how to get around it with no success. Scotty's idea had worked quite well. He would worry less about Grayson now, knowing that they could contain him in his playroom when necessary. He thanked Scotty and Chekov for their assistance. Nyota would be quite surprised when she returned shortly. He sat down on the other side of the baby gate and talked to his son while he waited for her.

Nyota walked into their quarters and stopped short. There before her sat Spock, cross-legged on the floor at the door to the playroom, facing their son, who sat on the other side of a very sturdy looking baby gate. Grayson had the gate clutched in both hands, trying hard to shake it. There was quite a conversation going on there, Grayson obviously telling his father to move this thing right now! She suppressed giggles. They had really needed this. She walked over, bent down, and kissed the back of Spock's neck, tickled to see his ears flush.


	33. Chapter 33:Comfort

**Baby Book - Comfort**

Grayson sat on his floor cloth, rocking back and forth to the music coming from the player in the other room. Mama was busy, doing something without him. He chewed on the yummy she had given him, liking the feeling of it dissolving on his tongue. When it was all gone, he carefully licked off his fingers. Then he looked around. Mama was still busy. Baba was not_ here_. He had gone somewhere Grayson did not understand. But it made mama sad. He would go and cheer her up. He rocked back and forth, leaning over, putting his weight on his hands. There, he got his legs out from under his tummy, bent his knees. Now he could move across the floor.

In a few minutes he was at the gate between the rooms. He sat up, then reached out and held onto the gate with both hands. "mama mama"

Nyota looked over to see her son sitting at the gate. She smiled at him. Well, she had just finished her reports, so she could go and play with him, just as soon as she sent them off. A few flicks of her fingers across the key pad and she was done. She shut down the com link, except for the channel which was always tuned to Spock's communicator, and crossed the room to sit crosslegged on the other side of the baby gate. "How's mama's little boy today, hum? Having fun with your toys? I see you finished all that biscuit." She reached out and tickled his tummy, making him giggle.

Just then there was a crackle of static from the com link. She stood up, lifting Grayson into her arms, and crossed quickly to the desk, listening.

"Spock to Enterprise. Come in Enterprise."

"Enterprise here. Uhura speaking." She didn't need to add that last - and she probably should not have answered at all - there would be someone on the bridge listening as well - but she just couldn't resist.

"Mission accomplished. We will be returning to the Enterprise in 17.65 minutes. Spock out."

Nyota danced around the room with Grayson, making him crow with laughter. "baba's coming home!"

Grayson patted his mother's cheek, glad to see her happy again. And hearing baba's voice had been very nice, too.


	34. Chapter 34:Pulling Up

**Baby Book - Pulling Up**

Grayson sat at the gate between the rooms. Mama and baba were on the other side and they were not paying any attention to him at all. He could hear them, but he couldn't see them. They were in the room with the bed. Baba had come back from wherever he had been and had picked him up and cuddled him and then set him back on _this_ side of the gate and picked mama up and carried her into that other room. Grayson didn't know what they were doing, but it sounded _interesting_. They had left the door open and he could hear mama making lots of noises. Baba was growling at her, that sounded like fun. Grayson didn't know what game they were playing, but he wanted to play, too.

He grabbed hold of the gate and pulled at it, but it didn't budge. He tried to put his hands underneath it, but the gap was too small to let even one of his fingers through. He stuck his arms through the holes in the framework of the gate, but once he was up to his shoulders, he could go no further. He was getting frustrated. He grabbed hold of the bar across the top of the gate, his arms extended up over his head, and pulled, hoping the gate would fall over. Instead, his bottom rose up off the floor. Surprised, he let go and plopped back down to the floor.

He sat there for a minute, trying to figure out what had happened. Then he grabbed the bar again and pulled once more. Again his bottom rose off the floor, and he was hanging there, all his weight on his arms. What did he do now? He bent his knees and pushed, like he did when mama held him up so he could bounce around and dance with her. Suddenly, he was standing there, balanced on his feet, holding to the bar, looking into the other room. He crowed happily. This was fun. He bounced up and down, all on his own, no one holding him. Oh, he liked this. He laughed and babbled, hanging on tightly.

Eventually, his arms gave out and he plopped back down on his bottom. He was sitting there, wondering what he would do next, when mama cried out something in that other language, the one she and baba spoke to each other. No one else who came in ever spoke that one. He could tell the difference. Then baba said something to her in that same language, his voice so very low and rough that it didn't really sound like baba at all. Then it was very quiet in that other room. He could just hear them breathing, very fast.

Grayson grabbed the top bar again and pulled hard again, drawing himself up, balancing again. "mama baba up up."

Nothing happened for a minute and then baba came out of the other room, wearing only his loose pants. He stopped when he saw Grayson and called to mama. _Nyota_, that was mama. Mama came out of the other room, wearing baba's shirt, and exclaimed when she saw him. Grayson babbled happily, having the attention of both parents again, bending his knees and bouncing happily.


	35. Chapter 35:Bedtime Story

**Baby Book - Bedtime Story**

Nyota washed Grayson's face and hands, gave him a hug, and set him down in the middle of his floor cloth. Stepping over the baby gate, she headed back to her desk to finish the report she had interrupted to feed her son his supper. Spock would be back from the gym any time now and she knew he would want to spend time with his son. Sure enough, the door swooshed open only a few minutes later and Spock stepped through, glowing from his workout. He gave her a swift kiss on the cheek as he passed her desk, stopping in front of the baby gate. On the other side, Grayson chortled happily as he saw his father. "baba baba up up!"

Spock reached down and lifted Grayson into the air, holding him high overhead for a moment before bringing him back down to his chest. He curled one arm around Grayson's middle, the boy's legs clasping his father's side. Grayson patted his father's face, babbling happily. Spock turned and headed for the bathroom. Time for a father and son shower, if she wasn't mistaken. Soon she heard Spock's deep voice and their son's happy babbling as the steam rolled out of the open bathroom door. Spock appeared to be trying to teach Grayson the names for the parts of his body in Vulcan. She wasn't really sure she wanted him to start learning Vulcan this young, but she had no idea how she would stop Spock. She smiled at the thought. He was pretty immovable once he made up his mind.

Her two men came back out of bathroom, wrapped in towels, and Spock handed Grayson to her to cuddle while he pulled on his loose pants and tee shirt. Then he took his son back and stepped over the baby gate, going into Grayson's room to dress him for bed. She finished her report, but sat there quietly, listening to the pleasant sound of her bondmate's voice as he talked to their son the whole time he was putting on a fresh diaper and pajamas. Then she heard the blankets rustling as he settled Grayson in his bed and the sounds of Spock settling down on the floor beside him. Now came her favorite part of the evening.

"Once there was a young boy who lived on the edge of a great desert. This boy had a seh'lat who was his friend. They roamed over the desert together, seeking adventures." Spock's voice, soft and warm, lulled their son to sleep, telling tales of his own childhood.


	36. Chapter 36:Rattling the Bars

**Baby Book - Rattling the Bars**

Mama had played the happy music and danced with him until he was tired and ready to sit and suck on his yummy for a while, but now he was rested and wanted to play some more. He looked at his toys, scattered on the floor cloth. Nothing looked very interesting. He flopped over on his tummy, got his knees up under him and crawled across the floor to the gate between the rooms. Once there, he grabbed the top bar and hauled himself to his feet. He stood there, bouncing his knees, looking into the other room.

Baba was sitting at the desk, doing something. Grayson knew baba didn't like to be disturbed when he was _working_. If Grayson called out to him now, baba would just say "I'm working, Grayson, be patient." and he would not play with him. Grayson sighed. He did like to play with baba.

Where was mama? He could not see her. He leaned over and twisted his head, looking all around the other room. No, she was not there. He would like another yummy.

He pulled at the bar across the door. Nothing happened. He bounced up and down, then stopped and looked at the bar. Had it moved just a bit? He bounced some more - yes it not only moved, it made a funny sound. That was interesting. He bounced again, now it made more noise. Happily, Grayson bounced up and down, wiggling the bar, making it bounce in its bracket, making a lovely racket.

Spock looked up to see what the noise was. There was his son, bouncing like a jumping jack, rattling the top bar of the baby gate in its bracket. It didn't look like it was going to come loose, but it certainly was making a lot of noise. Well, he had his report finished, anyway. He saved the file, sent it off to Jim, and shut down the com link. Rising from his chair, he stepped over to the door and picked up his son. "You do know that you are being very noisy, do you not, Grayson?"

"baba up."

"Yes, Baba picked you up, that is correct Grayson. And now, Baba is going to tire you out so that you will go to sleep, because Mama will be back from her workout soon, wanting to take a shower." Spock's eyes twinkled as he sat down on the floor with his son and began the series of exercises that made Grayson chortle with glee. The little boy's muscles were developing well for his age.

When Nyota walked through the door twenty minutes later, Grayson was falling asleep in his father's lap, ready to be tucked into bed.


	37. Chapter 37:Stepping

**Baby Book - Stepping**

Mama and baba were both sitting on the floor with him. Grayson was delighted. He leaned over, clutching baba's arm and pulled himself up, standing against his father, patting him, crowing with laughter. Mama was laughing, too. Grayson turned toward her, reaching out with one hand, wanting to hold both parents. Mama took his hand and he moved first one foot and then the other, going closer to her. Then he was against her, laughing, still holding baba's hand as well.

Grayson patted mama's face, crowing with laughter. Mama tickled him, making him bounce on his knees. Baba's warm hand supported him so that he did not fall. He turned back towards his father, taking two steps in that direction, waving his free hand at his father, grabbing at his ear. Baba turned his head, removing his ear from Grayson's grasp, while mama laughed.

Grayson went back and forth from one parent to the other, enjoying himself immensely. This was more fun than banging the top bar of the gate in its bracket.

***

Grayson woke from his nap to find Pavel sitting beside his bed. "Pabel! Up up!"

Pavel picked him up from the bed, blowing raspberries on his tummy, making him laugh. He gave him a dry diaper, put his overalls on, set him on the floor cloth, sitting down cross-legged beside him. Grayson leaned over, grabbing his friend's arm like he had baba's, pulling himself erect. He stood, bouncing, waving his free hand in Pavel's face while Pavel laughed at him. Then he began to move sideways, taking careful small steps. He moved all around Pavel, using him as support. When he was behind Pavel, he grabbed his hair, crowing loudly. He wanted another ride. Pavel laughed and reached around, supporting him, lifting him up onto his shoulders, rising from the floor and jogging about the room while Grayson crowed with laughter.

***

Grayson stood at the baby gate, looking into the other room. Mama and baba were both _working_. He looked around - there was the toy he wanted. He reached out for it but it was too far away. He held onto the gate with one hand, leaned in the direction of the toy, reached out. It was just out of his reach. He moved his feet a bit, further from the gate, leaned again, reached out, his fingers just brushing the toy. He made a little frustrated sound.

Nyota looked up to see what Grayson was doing when she heard him grunting in annoyance. As she watched, he let loose of the baby gate and took one step closer to the toy he wanted, holding onto nothing. Before she could alert Spock, their son leaned over to grab the toy, lost his balance and plopped down onto the floor. At the sound, Spock's eyes turned quickly to see Grayson's surprised look.

"You missed it. He just took his first step."

Both parents abandoned their work to watch their son. Some things couldn't wait.


	38. Chapter 38:Walking

**Baby Book - Walking**

Grayson stood at the gate and shook the bar. He could hear all the people talking in the other room. There was Pabel, and Jeem, and the doctor who gave him the sweet yummy and lots of other people. They were all talking and laughing and he was here, all by himself. He rattled the bar some more "mama baba up!"

Mama came over and picked him up, tickling his tummy. Then she sat him down in the middle of the floor and started talking to someone, not paying him any attention. Baba was talking with Jeem and the nice man who talked funny. His name was hard to say. He leaned over, putting his hands down on the floor and pushed his bottom up in the air. He lifted one hand off the floor, straightening up. He found a pant leg there to grab, and lifted the other hand, standing up completely now. The man whose pant leg he had looked down and smiled at him, ruffling his hair. He smiled back.

The food box chimed and mama took out a plate of yummys. Oh, they smelled good. He watched as she crossed the room and set the plate down on the table at the end of the couch. Letting loose of the pants leg, he took one step after another until he got to the table. He was reaching for the yummys when he heard baba.

"Nyota, Grayson is about to pull the plate of appetizers off onto the floor."

Mama reached down and scooped him up before he managed to get even one yummy. He looked over her shoulder, his eyes still on the food.

Nyota gave Grayson a teething biscuit and he took it, shoving it in his mouth, but he still didn't take his eyes off the plate of hot appetizers.

After a while, someone wanted to see something that mama was talking about, and she set him back on the floor. He found another handy pant leg to pull himself up with and set off across the floor again, both arms bent and up in the air, helping him to balance. This time, it was baba who scooped him up off the floor.

"Grayson, you can not have the appetizers."

He stared baba in the face, but baba could stare much better than he could. Jeem came over and tickled his tummy.

"Looks like you're going to have your hands full now that he can walk."

"It certainly seems that way, yes."


	39. Chapter 39:Birthday Cake

**Baby Book - Birthday Cake**

Grayson stared at the wonderful yummy on the table in front of him. It smelled oh so very good. Mama called it a 'birthday cake'. And she said it was for him. His mouth watered and he could not take his eyes from that wonderful sight. He reached out one hand toward the yummy but baba took his hand and moved it away. If the yummy was for him, why couldn't he have it now?

Mama was doing something on the other side of the room. She had on a pretty bright dress with her hair all tied up inside something else bright. Baba was wearing those long dark robes that smelled like the funny stuff he burned when he sat so still and ignored him. It had pretty stuff down the front. Grayson picked at the silver embroidery with his fingers.

Mama left the odd thing sitting on the other side of the room and came over to where baba stood holding him. She stood close to baba and put her hand on Grayson's tummy. Grayson looked up at her, trying to figure out what was going on. She gently turned his head back towards the other side of the room. "Smile, Grayson, time to take our picture."

She tickled him, just a little bit and he grinned widely. A bright light flashed in his eyes and he jumped. Baba laid one finger against his face and he felt _calm, my son_. Then mama moved then over to the table where the yummy 'birthday cake' was. Baba sat down in the chair, and mama went back across the room and did something with that odd thing that made the bright light. Then she came back and stood beside baba and moved the yummy right into his reach. His hand darted out and grabbed at the yummy, getting something soft all over his fingers. He plunged them into his mouth and sucked. _Oh, this was very yummy!_ The bright light went off several times and mama was laughing.

Baba made a strange little sound, one that Grayson did not hear very often. Grayson twisted his head, frosting covered fingers still in his mouth, and looked up at baba, seeing his lips quirked up. Baba was happy, too. Grayson pulled his fingers out of his mouth and reached up and stuck them in baba's mouth - he should taste this yummy too. For some reason, this made mama laugh even louder. The bright light went off again. Grayson laughed - baba looked so funny with blue frosting smeared on his mouth.


	40. Chapter 40:Birthday Party

**Baby Book - Birthday Party**

Grayson was so excited. Mama and baba took him to the mess hall and there was _everyone_! Pabel and Jeem and mah-coy and the one he had trouble saying - scoddy. And there was Sulu and nurse and all the others. He wiggled and clapped his hands. And there was another yummy - a really big one!

Baba set him down on the floor, holding his hand, and he grabbed baba's pant leg with the other hand, standing there, looking around at all the people. He saw the friends he played with while mama and baba were _working_. He chortled happily - were they going to get some of the yummy too?

Then mama came and sat him down on one of the tables and gave him little boxes in pretty paper to play with. This was fun. She even let him tear the paper and wave it around. He crumpled up the shiny paper and stuck it in his mouth.

"No, Grayson, it's not to eat." But she was laughing at him. He smiled back. She reached over and lifted the lid of the box that had been inside the shiny paper. What was in there? He grabbed the lid and tossed it away. Oh! Fuzzy! He pulled the soft stuffed animal out of the box and clutched it against his chest happily. Nice, nice. He rocked and crooned to the fuzzy.

Mama was giving him another box - what was in this one? He ripped paper again, waving it happily in the air. Mama helped him open the lid and there was _another_ fuzzy! Two fuzzies in one day! Grayson was beside himself. He held the new fuzzy up for mama to hug. Baba got the next one. By the time all the presents were open, Grayson was so excited he could hardly stand it. And everyone else was laughing, too.

Mama and baba took all the new fuzzies and stacked them up at the end of the table. Then baba did something and there was a fire on top of the yummy. Grayson started, looked at baba. Baba didn't seem concerned. Then mama was there, telling him to 'blow the candle out, Grayson." and puffing at him. Grayson looked at the big yummy with the little fire on top, then back at mama. He turned back to the little fire and puffed his cheeks and blew at it. The little fire went out and everybody yelled and clapped. Then mama gave him a piece of the yummy to eat. Grayson was good and shared with baba.


	41. Chapter 41:Gibberish

**Baby Book - Gibberish**

Jim Kirk sat dawdling over the remains of his supper, not quite ready to go back to the solitude of his quarters, but giving off such an aura of remoteness that none of his officers felt inclined to disturb him. When Uhura came through the door of the mess hall with Grayson tucked onto her hip, he perked up for the first time since sitting down. He waved one hand to get her attention. "Hey, over here. I'll hold him for you while you get your food."

"Oh, thanks. I was afraid everyone would have left already. Be warned, he's a handful tonight." Nyota handed over her energetic son and headed for the serving line.

Jim braced the little boy's feet on his leg and looked right into his face. "How are you tonight, Grayson? Had a good day?"

Grayson bent his knees and bounced, waving his arms in glee. "Jeem! Sanosh nash-veh. zdravstvulte! Tucheze!"

Jim was confounded. _What was this kid saying_? "Hey, stick to Standard, okay? Uncle Jim's not a linguist."

Grayson giggled and patted Jeem's face. Then he bounced again. Maybe Jeem would lift him up and give him a ride like Pavel did! "Up, Jeem, Up!

"Now that I can understand." Jim lifted Grayson up and sat him on his shoulders, much to the delight of the little boy.

When Nyota came around the corner of the serving line and back into the main part of the mess hall with her tray, it was to see her son being paraded around the mess hall on the captain's shoulders, laughing happily and patting the top of Jim's head.

She sat down and ate her supper, waiting for the two of them to get back to her. When she was almost finished, Jim sat down across from her, Grayson still perched on his shoulders.

"When are you going to teach this kid some Standard? I can't understand most of what he says! It was bad enough with the two of you always spouting some gibberish, now there are three of you doing it!"

_____

Sanosh nash-veh = Literally 'pleasure this one.' - happy to see you (Vulcan)

zdravstvulte = hello (Russian)

Tucheze = let's play (Kiswahili)


	42. Chapter 42:Friends

**Baby Book - Friends**

Spock walked into the Pediatric Day Care Center, Grayson balanced on his hip. Grayson immediately started waving at his friends. Spock bent over and set him down on the floor and he tottered off towards the small group of children clustered around a large pile of blocks. After a few words with the attendant on duty, Spock headed for the bridge. Grayson didn't even see him go.

Pete picked up a large rectangular block and banged it down hard on the floor, making Joey jump and yelp. Grayson patted his friend on the arm. _ It's all right, Joey._

Joey settled back down, holding Grayson's fingers for a minute. Then he picked up the yellow triangular blocks and laid them down together, forming a square. Grayson tilted his head and looked at it. _Very interesting_. He looked to see whether there were any more yellow triangles. No, but here were blue ones, smaller. He laid them over the yellow ones, noticing what a nice pattern it made.

Suzy was laying the tan rectangular blocks out in a line, now she had one of the little flitters and was moving it along the line of blocks. _Why was she doing that?_ Grayson tilted his head, watching as the tiny toy caught in the space between two blocks. Suzy jerked at it, pulling the blocks out of alignment. Grayson reached over and helped her straighten them up again.

Suddenly Pete threw his blocks at the line of tan ones, scattering them all over. Suzy wailed. An attendant came running, picking her up and soothing her. _Why did Pete act that way?_

Grayson pushed himself up off the floor and toddled off across the room to the sand box. He did like the sand box. He crawled up over the edge and plopped down into the warm sand. He picked up a handful and opened his fingers, watching the sand drizzle off, back down to the bottom on the sand box. Joey came over as well, clambering over the edge, settling down beside him. Grayson took another handful of sand, lifted his hand, drizzled the sand down over Joey's head. Joey giggled and picked up sand and drizzled it over Grayson's head. Both boys laughed out loud. By the time the attendant got there, they both had sand in their hair and clothing. Scolding, she brushed them off and told them to behave.

***

When Nyota picked Grayson up that evening, she didn't understand why he had sand in his hair. He just smiled at her. "Friends" He said.


	43. Chapter 43:Lunch

**Baby Book - Lunch**

Today was mama's day to drop him off to play with his friends. He patted her cheek as she set him down on the floor. There was Joey and Suzy was right next to him. They were playing with the fuzzies. Oh, good. He hurried over to them as fast as he could. They sat on the floor and rocked back and forth, hugging the fuzzies and crooning to them. Everything was fine until Pete came over and started tugging at the fuzzies, trying to take them away. Grayson got mad and hit Pete for bothering Suzy and Joey. Pete cried and the attendant came and fussed at them.

***

Grayson's tummy started to growl. It was time for lunch. He looked around. Yes, here came the attendants with the wet wash cloths, cleaning up everyone's hands and faces. Then they picked them up and sat them in special chairs. They needed to have chairs like this in the mess hall. These chairs had nice little trays already attached to them. Grayson bounced and kicked, wanting his lunch, NOW.

The nice new attendant came and put some small cubes of cheese on his tray. Oh, he liked cheese! Carefully he pinched one piece between his thumb and finger and lifted it to his mouth. Yum. Now there were some pieces of fruit on his tray, too. And some crackers. Which should he eat first? He looked over at Joey. Joey was eating a cracker. Okay, he would eat a cracker, too. Nice crunchy cracker.

What was this? Something new. He looked at it, not sure what it was. It was about the same size as baba's little finger, but more the color of mama's fingers. He poked at it, not sure what to do with it. He looked over at Suzy. She had this new thing clutched in her hand, sucking on one end of it. Okay. He tried that. Interesting taste. He bit into the end and chewed. He held his hand out and looked at the new thing. He liked this. He took another bite, feeling the new thing give between his four little teeth. _Interesting_.

The attendant with skin the color of mama's came and gave him a sippy cup. What was in it today? Oh, just milk. But it was nice and cold.

He finished the last of the new thing, searched his tray for anything he might have missed. There was a small piece of cracker, a crumb of cheese, a tiny piece of fruit. All gone now. Grayson's tummy was full now and he found his head nodding. When the attendant came and lifted him up, carrying him over to the cots for a nap, he didn't complain at all.

***

"What did he have for lunch today?"

"We gave them soy dogs. He really liked his."


	44. Chapter 44:Sa'mekh'al

**Baby Book - Sa'mekh'al**

Mama and baba were excited about something. Mama was smiling and laughing. Baba kept touching her and the corners of his mouth were curled up - that meant he was happy, too. Grayson knew. But he didn't know what they were happy about.

Mama gave him another bath. He had already had one today! Then she dressed him all up in new clothes. And she made him wear shoes, too. Baba said he looked 'nice'. That made mama laugh again. Grayson wished he knew what was going on.

Now baba picked him up and sat him on his hip. Grayson liked this. He grabbed a handful of baba's shirt in the back and patted baba's face with his hand. Baba had his warm arm around him, holding him in place and now they were going somewhere - down the corridor in the ship. Grayson laughed and waved to people as they passed.

Then they came to a place where Grayson hadn't been before, but there was Scoddy. Grayson laughed again - he like Scoddy. There was a loud humming sound that he had not heard before - he looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Something very strange was happening over there, all sparkly shimmery stuff in the air. And WHOA! There were people there where none had been just a minute ago.

Grayson patted baba's chest, trying to get his attention. Had baba seen that? But baba wasn't paying him any attention, instead he was looking at those new people. Grayson turned his head back to look at them, too. These new people had ears like baba's and his, not like everyone else's. Interesting.

The new people stepped down off the platform they were on and came closer. Grayson looked at them. One of those people looked like someone he had seen before. He cocked his head sideways like baba did when he was thinking. Where had he seen that man? He hadn't seen him in the mess hall. He knew he hadn't been in the day care center where he played with his friends. He had never been in the rooms he shared with mama and baba. Where had he seen him?

The new man came over and stood in front of baba. He raised one hand and made a strange gesture and said something in baba's language. Baba made the same gesture and replied to him. Then the new man bent his head closer to Grayson and said something else.

"nash-veh t'sa-fu, Spock?"

"nash-veh S'chn T'gai Grayson, sa'mekh."

Grayson swiveled his head to look first at his father and then at the other man. He held out his fingers toward that other face, remembering now where he had seen it before. "sa'mekh'al"

And there was mama, smiling at him. "Yes, Grayson, this is your grandfather."

_________

Sa'mekh'al = grandfather

Nash-veh t'sa-fu = this is your son

Sa'mekh = father


	45. Chapter 45:Sa'mekh'al part two

**Baby Book - Sa'mekh'al - part two**

Sarek looked at the young child in his son's arms. He could clearly see the heritage of both parents in that small child. And looking out of that small face were eyes so like ones that had been dear to him for many years. Spock had those eyes as well. But it was still unexpected to see them again. He felt drawn. And then he heard the word that he had not expected to hear. "sa'mekh'al" and small fingers reaching out. Hesitantly he held out his hand, two fingers extended. Two tiny fingers laid themselves against his, the small face smiling. He cautiously opened his shield, allowing the child in. _Joy, love, happiness_. He struggled to remain impassive. It was most difficult. This was a _most _expressive child. He straightened up, withdrew his hand from the child's touch.

Spock watched his father interact with his son. Strange, it almost appeared that his father might ...smile. _ Interesting_.

Nyota stood beside her husband, watching the three males closely. Yes, there was definitely a reaction in Sarek. But then Grayson was one of the most loving children she had ever been around, even more open with his affections than the nieces and nephews she had helped to care for when she was a teenager. She watched her son reach out to touch his grandfather, smiling widely. Then Grayson was crowing, patting Spock's chest. Happy. She wished she could know what the exchange between grandfather and grandson had been. Whatever it was, it had not been cold, that was definite from Grayson's reaction.

Grayson felt his sa'mehk'al open his mind, allow him entrance. Baba did that. Sometimes he was closed off, other times he let Grayson in. Mama was always open to him, always filling him with _love_. He was careful, he did not go where he was not welcome. He let sa'mehk'al see that he loved his mama and his baba, that he would love _him_, too, if he would let him. There was a very strange reaction from his sa'mehk'al - an almost grudging welcome. He lit up with joy. YES, sa'mehk'al, yes, _I love you, too._

When his grandfather straightened up and removed his hand from Grayson's touch, the little boy turned to his father, patting him, happy. _Let's take him home, baba_.

Baba looked down at him, his lips slightly quirked up. He spoke to the other people there in the room, and then started off down the hall, mama following. Grayson looked around baba's shoulder. Yes, all the other people were following. They stopped at a door, and baba talked to them again. Most of the people went into the room. However, sa'mehk'al followed mama and baba on down the hall. Oh, good, he _was _coming home with them! He would show sa'mehk'al all his toys. He would even share his yummies with him. Maybe baba would play music and he and mama could sing for sa'mehk'al. Somehow he thought that would be appreciated. Grayson smiled happily, anticipating.


	46. Chapter 46:Sa'mekh'al part three

**Baby Book - Sa'mekh'al - part three**

Sarek sat on the couch in Spock and Nyota's quarters. Spock was sitting on the other end of the couch. Nyota was making tea.

Grayson stood on the floor beside Spock's knees, holding on with one hand. In the other hand, he had a biscuit mama had given him. He was watching his sa'mekh'al. He was talking to baba and mama. Grayson couldn't understand most of what they said. They were speaking in the language mama and baba spoke in the bedroom. Baba was teaching him that language, but he didn't know the words they were using now.

He looked from baba to sa'mekh'al, watching their faces. Baba said something that made sa'mekh'al raise his eyebrow just like baba did. Grayson thought that was funny and he laughed. Both men turned to look at him. Grayson waved his biscuit in the air, pointing to sa'mekh'al's eyebrow. That was funny. He let loose of baba's knee and took two steps toward sa'mehk'al. He reached out and patted sa'mehk'al's knee. "Up, sa'mekh'al, up."

Sarek looked at Grayson, one eyebrow arched. He considered. Grayson just stood, there, patting his knee. The small boy cocked his head to one side, looking so much like Spock had at that age that Sarek felt a swell of emotion. He had denied his son so much when he was small, trying to force him to fit a very strict Vulcan mold. Perhaps he had even been _too_ strict with him. Grayson still stood at his knee, one small hand resting there. Deciding on a course of action, Sarek reached out and clasped Grayson under the arms, lifting him up onto his lap.

Grayson patted sa'mekh'al's cheek with his hand, smiling. _Happy_. He looked over at baba. Baba was watching him, so Grayson smiled at baba, too. Then he sat down on sa'mekh'al's lap, leaning back against his warmth, and chewed on his biscuit while baba and sa'mekh'al talked and drank the tea that mama brought. It was so comfortable there that the small boy drifted off to sleep.

***

"I can take him and put him to bed now, Sarek."

"If you do not mind, Nyota, I think I should like to hold him a while longer. I know it is illogical, but it is ...pleasant." Sarek looked down at the small child sleeping in his lap. This was not something he had experienced in many years.

"You may hold him as long as you wish. He seems quite content there." Nyota gave her father-in-law a soft smile. "Holding a baby is one of the great joys of life."

Sarek looked up at her in astonishment. He reflected on her words. Perhaps he had reached a stage in his life, considering all that had happened, where he would not deny himself such pleasures any longer. He could certainly use some joy in his life. He looked back at Grayson. Yes, this joy he would treasure.


	47. Chapter 47Sa'mekh'al part four

**Baby Book - Sa'mekh'al - part four**

Grayson sat on his floor cloth, playing with his blocks. He heard the door to the corridor swoosh open and then there were voices. Baba, sa'mekh'al, and ..someone else. He cocked his head - that other voice sounded familiar ...but not. Strange.

He leaned over and placed his hands flat on the floor, then squirmed around until he had his legs out from under him and got his feet on the floor. He pushed his bottom up into the air and carefully straightened up. He toddled over to the gate, grasping the top bar in his hands and shaking it. "Baba baba up up out!"

Baba walked over and lifted him up, settling him down on his hip with one warm arm around him, holding him in place, then walked back over to where sa'mekh'al and that other man stood. Grayson looked at the other man. He looked familiar, but Grayson knew he had never seen a man that looked that old before. He must be one of the other men that had come with sa'mekh'al. But he felt ... strange... familiar, to Grayson. It was very odd.

He turned back to baba, looked at sa'mekh'al again, then the other man. They were very similar. But he still didn't know who he was. He patted baba's face. "baba." He stopped, looked at his grandfather. "sa'mekh'al" he held out his hands in that direction. Then he looked at the other man. He reached one hand in that direction. "who, baba?"

"This is your kinsman, elder Spock."

Grayson was confused. Spock was baba's name. How could this other be Spock, too? Kinsman - baba, sa'mekh'al, grandfather Alhamisi - those were his kinsmen. And mama's brother, as well. But who was this? He was too old to be baba's brother - he was older even than sa'mekh'al. Could he be sa'mekh'al's father? No, surely baba would have said that. Maybe he was sa'mekh'al's brother? What was that new word baba had taught him? He looked back at the other man, raised the hand he had outstretched, tried to shape his fingers in the proper form. "mene sakkhet ur-seveh, toz'ot-al."

"Your son is very perceptive, Spock."

"Much more perceptive than anticipated."

The older man hesitated, then spoke again. "If it is permitted...if he is willing...I should be grateful for the chance to hold him for a moment. I have heard that it is quite pleasant." He stopped, tilted his head down a moment, then looked up again, waiting an answer.

Spock looked down at Grayson. "My son, your kinsman wonders whether you would let him hold you as sa'mekh'al did last night? Would you do this?"

Grayson looked at baba, then at the other man, then held out his hands. Two warm hands clasped him under the arms, drew him across the short space against a warm body. Two warm arms encircled him, supporting him. This was_ very_ strange, very familiar. Grayson reached up one hand and patted that lined face, looking into the warm brown eyes. "baba?"

"Extremely perceptive."

_______

mene sakkhet ur-seveh = Live Long and Prosper

Toz'ot-al = uncle


	48. Chapter 48:Meeting Jilly

**Baby Book - Meeting Jilly**

Grayson sat on the floor of the day care center, playing with Suzy and Joey. Pete hadn't been here for several days. He had heard the attendants say something about 'retraining' whatever that meant. It was much quieter here without him. No one else threw things about.

A man and a woman came into the day care center. The woman had something in her arms, wrapped in a blanket. Grayson craned his neck, trying to see what it was. Oh, a baby. He poked at Suzy and pointed to the baby. "Baby. Look."

All three pushed themselves up off the floor and toddled over to see the baby. The woman sat down in one of the small chairs while the man talked to the attendant. The woman looked at the three toddlers before her. "Do you want to see?"

All three heads nodded vigorously. The woman unfolded the blanket and there before them was the prettiest little girl that Grayson had ever seen. She was _much_ prettier than Suzy. Lots and lots of bright red hair, in little curls all over her head. And tiny little spots on her cheeks - what were those? But they were _pretty_. He _liked_ them.

And then the little baby girl opened her eyes - her bright green eyes. Grayson stared into those eyes in amazement. He reached out one hand, so very carefully, intending to touch the small cheek, but found his fingers clasped tightly in much smaller ones. A teeny tiny 'spark' jumped between those tiny fingers and his. _What was that?_ Whatever it had been, it was certainly nice.

"This is Jill. She's going to be staying here with you at the day care center while we work. Will you help her be happy here?"

All three little heads nodded again. Of course, they would.

Grayson looked at the tiny fingers clutching his. _ Jilly?_

_Happy._

He gave a little start. WOW!

The woman stood up, and those little fingers slipped away from his. Grayson watched as the attendant took her and laid her in one of the small beds. Jilly.

***

When baba came to pick him up, Grayson took him by the hand and led him over to where Jilly lay in the small bed. "Jilly, baba."

Spock looked at the rapt attention on his son's face. He did not think he had ever seen just that look there before. Interesting. "Yes, I see her, Grayson. A new friend."

"Friend, yes, baba." Grayson smiled happily.

"mama is waiting for us in the mess hall, Grayson."

In the mess hall? "Pabel? Jeem? Sulu? Scoddy?"

"Almost certainly. Do you wish to walk or ride?"

"Ride, baba, up, up, way up, baba!" Grayson laughed aloud as baba picked him up and settled him on his shoulders, heading for the mess hall. What a nice day this had been - Jilly and riding way up, both on the same day.


	49. Chapter 49:Daddy Time

**Baby Book - Daddy Time**

Spock spoke quietly to Nyota. "He will be fine. I will be here with him all day. Do not be concerned." He stroked his bondmate's face gently. "Do not worry so." He rested his forehead against hers, heard her sigh softly.

"I've never been away from him this long before. Never not on the same ship. It's scary."

"It is only one day. It will only take a few minutes to beam you back over here if needed. We will still be in touch, k'diwa."

"Yes, I know. I'm just being silly." She lifted her face for a soft kiss and then straightened up, squaring her shoulders, becoming the professional xenolinguist, on duty once again. She picked up the PADD laying there on the table and walked to the door, turning one last time to glance back at him, eyes soft, before exiting to the corridor.

Spock stood looking at the door. Perhaps he should have wakened Grayson to say goodbye. He could even have taken him to the transporter deck to watch her beam out. No, that would probably have been something the small boy would not understand. He turned back to the bedroom and dressed in comfortable, casual clothing. He felt Nyota's presence in the back of his mind, greeting her fellow xenolinguists on the other ship. He breathed a small sigh of relief. As many times as he had used the transporter system, it still seemed different when it was _her_ molecules that were being displaced.

His sensitive hearing picked up the small sounds of his son waking up. He stepped over the baby gate and crossed the playroom into Grayson's bedroom. Grayson grinned up at him, climbing quickly up to stand with arms upraised. He picked him up, carried him into the bathroom, stripping off pajamas and soaked diaper. He ran warm water in the bathtub and set Grayson down, handing him the small floating toy from the counter top. Grayson splashed and babbled, moving the toy around on the water's surface. If he was not careful, he would be soaked as well. He found the soft cloth and the special gel that Nyota kept just for Grayson and began to wash the small body. It was much harder to do now that Grayson was so active. The next time he took on this duty, he would wait until afterwards to dress!

Now it was time to shampoo Grayson's hair and he wasn't sure how to go about it. When he bathed Grayson, it was usually in the shower. Then he saw the small hose laying on the back ledge of the tub. Ahh. He quickly attached it to the tub faucet and soon was spraying Grayson with it. The little boy thought this was great fun and splashed merrily. With some difficulty, he managed to wet his hair sufficiently to make lather, and then rinse it again. He released the seal at the bottom of the tub and lifted the wiggly wet body out into a large towel. He would definitely need to change his clothes again.

Once he and Grayson were both wearing clean dry clothing, he headed out to the mess hall. As he went through the line, he could sense Nyota sitting at a table with the other nine xenolinquists, eating her own breakfast, chatting with the others. It was comforting, knowing that she was enjoying the outing. He reached out and prevented Grayson from grabbing the tray of sweet rolls. "Grayson, no. You cannot have cinnamon rolls." He shuddered slightly. He did not know how that spice might affect the small boy and had no desire to find out at this moment. He found a plain doughnut on the next tray and put that on Grayson's plate, receiving a chortle of glee in exchange. "You cannot have that until you have eaten your oatmeal." Grayson looked at him with large eyes. "Yes, you heard me correctly. Oatmeal." With that he picked up the bowl of hot cereal and added it to the tray he was pushing down the line. He added a large glass of orange juice and several slices of whole wheat toast and lifted the tray to find a table.

As his eyes swept the room, he saw a hand lifted, waving. Ah, Sulu and Chekov. He made his way across the room and set the tray down. Chekov reached up and took Grayson from him, chatting away. Grayson laughed and patted Chekov's face happily. "Pabel! Zulu! B'ekfas.'"

"Yes, Grayson, breakfast. Now sit down quietly and eat." He took his son back, sitting him on one thigh, and began to spoon the oatmeal alternately into the small mouth and his own. The fact that baba was also eating the oatmeal seemed to make it more acceptable to Grayson and he did not object. When the oatmeal was finished, he gave Grayson one triangle of toast, while he ate the rest. Then Grayson got half the doughnut. The other half went into his own mouth. What Nyota did not know, she could not complain about. Then he felt her tinkling laughter.

_I saw that, you didn't get away with it._

She seemed amused, so he did not reply. Besides, Sulu and Chekov were trying to draw him into conversation. He could still feel her amusement in the back of his mind.

When Sulu and Chekov rose to leave the mess hall, he followed, dropping the tray into the recycle slot. He walked down the corridors, back to their quarters. He had some work to do while Grayson played. He set Grayson down, over the baby gate, and sat at his desk. He set a small part of his attention to listen to his son while he opened the comlink and began to read the messages there. By the time he was almost finished, Grayson was beginning to sound a little fussy. He finished quickly and rose, walking the few steps to the doorway. When his son saw him there, he came toddling over quickly. "Play, baba, play."

"Yes, Grayson, time to play." His lips quirked up at the edges. Play was something new to him, something he had never really done before his son was born. It still felt - odd - sometimes. He settled down on the floor with his son, going through the gentle exercises that strengthened the small body. Then there was a spirited game of peek-a-boo. Although this game seemed inherently silly, Grayson loved it and he had learned to play it well. Then it was story time. Grayson pulled out his favorite book and climbed into his lap, leaning back against him, clutching his favorite stuffed animal, while he read. By the time the story was finished, Grayson was barely awake. Carefully he rose from the floor and carried his sleepy son to bed, tucking the cover over him.

Now he would do some exercise of his own and meditate until Grayson woke again. He went the series of stretches and isometric exercises that he used when he could not get to the gym to exercise, then lit the incense and settled down, easily falling into a deep trance, all but the small part of his awareness focused on his son, and the gentle link to Nyota, who was now quite entranced with the presentation being made by one of the other xenolinquists.

He rose quickly to full consciousness when he heard Grayson moving about, calling him. He went into the small bedroom and lifted his son out of the bed. Wet again. He changed the boy's diaper and set him down on the floor.

"on'gee, baba."

"Yes, Grayson, it is time for lunch. Do you wish to walk or ride?" He already knew the answer to that question, but he would ask it anyway. He found that the small boy's exuberance was ...stimulating.

"Ride, baba, up, way up, ride baba!"

He picked the small boy up and settled him on his shoulders, holding him securely about the waist, and set off for the mess hall. He selected a salad for himself and a soy dog and fruit salad for Grayson. Afterwards it was necessary to wash Grayson's hands and face thoroughly. _How did Nyota keep him so neat? _He felt her amusement, softly there in the back of his mind.

_You're supposed to drain all the juice off the fruit before you let him have it, ashayam._

_Now you tell me. _He supposed he must not have been paying enough attention when she fed him. He would have to do better.

He swung Grayson back up on his shoulders and set off for a walk down the corridors. Perhaps they would go to the gardens for a while. Grayson usually liked that.

Grayson toddled down the pathway between the ferns and flowers, chortling happily, asking for names of the plants. Some were not labeled and Spock did not know the names of all of them. Grayson could not understand that - baba knew _everything_, didn't he?

After the gardens, they visited the gym, where he stood carefully against the wall, out of the way of the people exercising, and let Grayson watch. The little boy got very excited when he saw Sulu fencing, laughing and clapping. But he was very startled at the judo sparring, with people flying through the air and landing hard on the mats. Maybe that was enough for today. He carried him into the locker room and stripped off his clothes, pulling on the special swim briefs. Grayson got _very_ excited. He set him down with a stern command to stay put, and changed his own clothes. Then they walked out to the small pool, reserved for family use, and he slipped into the water, lifting his son down from the edge of the pool, into the water. He supported the little body as Grayson splashed and paddled about happily. Then he rolled him over and made him practice floating for a while. Then Grayson was calling to him, "Duck, baba, Duck!" So he placed his hand over the small nose and mouth, cautioning him, then quickly pulled him under the water and then back to the surface. Grayson laughed gleefully, enjoying this game a great deal.

By the time he had them both dried off and redressed, Grayson was nodding again. He picked him up and settled him against his shoulder, one arm under the small bottom, and headed back to their quarters. He settled Grayson into his bed again, for another short nap, and went to check for messages. Nyota was making her own presentation now - he listened as he straightened up Grayson's toys and gathered up clothing to fill the 'fresher up. She was doing extremely well - just as he had anticipated.

When Grayson woke up from his nap, they headed for the mess hall again. To Grayson's great delight, they found Jim and Scotty there tonight, just heading in themselves. The small boy took great delight in going from lap to lap, chattering merrily with each of men in turn. They spent a considerable amount of time there in the mess hall, only arriving back in their quarters in time for Grayson to be changed into pajamas and ready for bed when Nyota arrived back from her seminar. She settled down beside Grayson's bed, leaning back against her bondmate, listening to a tale of a boy and his seh'lat roaming over the desert, happy to be back home.


	50. Chapter 50:New Friends

**Baby Book - New Friends**

Spock dropped Grayson off at the day care center and headed for the bridge. Nyota was saying goodbye to the other xenolinguists she had met at the seminar. She would be along in a few minutes. Grayson had paid no attention to him when he set him down on the floor - toddling directly across the room to stand beside the crib containing the new little girl. He would have to remember to tell Nyota about that.

Grayson noticed immediately that Jilly was already here. He could see her laying on her tummy there in the small bed. She had her arms under her, pushing her head up, looking around. He carefully walked across the room, avoiding the toys on the floor and stopped beside her. His face was almost level with hers as she laid in the small bed. He extended one hand and gently touched the soft cheek. _Good morning, Jilly._

She laughed at him. The soft sound rolled over him, making him smile and laugh as well. The attendant came over to see what was going on. She lifted Jilly up out of the bed and sat down on the low chair with Jilly in her lap.

Grayson was ecstatic. He stood in front of Jilly and smiled at her. Jilly smiled back. She reached out and grabbed at him. Quickly he held up his hand and she closed hers around his fingers. She laughed again. _Happy. _ Yes, they were both happy.

Joey came over and patted him on the arm. _Come play, Grayson_.

Grayson looked from Jilly to Joey. Just then the attendant made a face and lifted Jilly over to the changing table. Well, he wasn't going to look at what was coming next! He followed Joey over to the sandbox. While they were sitting there, some more people came through the door from the corridor. There were two small boys with them. Grayson and Joey both looked over, then at each other. More new friends? They climbed over the side of the sandbox and toddled across the room, stopping in front of the new boys.

They stood there looking at each other. Both of the new boys had their thumbs in their mouths. Why were they doing that? Grayson looked at Joey. Joey didn't know either. Grayson held out one hand. _Come and play. _ He pointed to the sandbox. The new boys looked at the woman they were standing in front of.

"Go on and play." She shooed them away from her. Grayson took one of the boys by his hand and Joey took the other and they led them across to the sandbox. None of them saw the adults leave. Later one of the attendants came over and said "Grayson, Joey, this is Stevie and Sam. It's so nice to see you all playing well together. Come let me wash your hands and faces, though, it's time for lunch and we have soy dogs again today."

All four of the little boys came eagerly to get their lunch. As Grayson sat in his high chair, chewing on his soy dog, he watched Jilly, sleeping in her crib. He wondered how long it would be before she was big enough to sit on the floor and play with him too. That would be nice.

***

When mama came to get him, he led her around and showed her all his new friends, Stevie and Sam and Jilly. He touched Jilly's cheek, very softly, and looked up at mama, smiling. Mama smiled back, "I think she's nice, too, Grayson."


	51. Chapter 51:Making Beautiful Music?

**Baby Book - Making Beautiful Music ?**

There were new things in the day care center. Grayson and Joey looked hard at them. Sam and Stevie hung back behind, not at all sure. Suzy toddled over, wanting to look too. There was a new lady, sitting on one of the little chairs. She had all the new things spread out around her. She picked up something round and patted the top with her hand. Boom, boom.

Interesting. Grayson reached out his hand as well, patted the round thing. It made the same noise, only much softer. He patted harder, it boomed louder. He grinned. The nice lady handed him the round thing. "Drum, Grayson. This is a drum."

"Dum. Boom boom dum." Grayson smiled and sat down, patting the drum, first softly, then louder. He giggled. This was fun.

Joey was leaning over the lady's lap, trying to see what else she had. The lady handed Joey something round with a handle. She showed him how to shake it. It made a nice sound, a zzzzz sound. Joey shook it again, listening. He sat down beside Grayson, shaking the round thing. Boom boom zzzzz. They smiled at each other.

The nice lady was trying to get Sam and Stevie to come get something, but they were standing there with their thumbs in their mouths, not sure at all. Suzy was ready to try something though. The lady picked up a piece of bent metal and another straight piece, like the stylus that mama and baba used. She hit the bent piece with the straight piece. It made a nice chiming sound. Suzy smiled. She sat down beside Joey and hit the bent piece again. Boom boom zzzzzz ching ching. They all smiled.

Finally Sam walked up to the lady to see what else she had. She gave him something that looked like a block, only it had some funny stuff like sand stuck all over the outside. Then she gave him and stick and showed him how to rub it only the edge of the sandy block. Brrrrrr brrrrrr. Boom boom zzzzz ching ching brrrrr brrrr. All the children laughed.

Stevie was the only one who didn't have one of the new things. He hung back a little, still not sure. He kept looking at the others, listening to the interesting sounds they were making. Finally he could stand it no longer. He stretched out his hand to the new lady, wanting something to make interesting noises with too. She gave him a different round thing, with funny little discs attached to it. When she shook it, it made lots of noise. Everyone listened. Oh, that was nice.

***

When Nyota came to pick up Grayson, she heard the children far down the corridor. Oh, my, today must be music appreciation class. She laughed at the happy expressions on the faces of the young children.


	52. Chapter 52:What's Going Around

**Baby Book - What's Going Around**

There was something 'going around' on the Enterprise. Sick bay was full of people complaining of upset stomach, headache, stopped up noses. They closed the day care center and told everyone to keep their children at home. Shifts were changed around so that one parent could be with the child at all times.

Grayson didn't understand why he couldn't go play with his friends. This was a play day, he knew it was. He kept trying to go out the door. Finally Nyota put him back on his side of the baby gate so that she didn't have to keep chasing him. She didn't feel so hot herself. She hoped she wasn't coming down with whatever was going around.

At lunchtime, Spock came in with a tray. "I wasn't going to stay in the mess hall any longer than necessary. Everyone is coughing. Maybe we ought to use the synthesizer for supper."

Nyota set the food out on the table while Spock got Grayson and sat down with the small boy on his lap. He set the plate with the soy dog on it where Grayson could reach it. Two eager hands reached out and grabbed it. Grayson sat happily chewing while his parents ate their lunch. Mama came and washed his hands and face and then baba gave him a hug and set him back down on the floor with his toys.

Spock went back to the bridge and Nyota sat down at the comlink to check on messages and finish a report. Grayson played happily with his toys until he got tired and started to fuss. Mama picked him up and read him a story before tucking him down for his nap.

When he woke up, mama didn't come to pick him up. He played in his bed for a while, then called out. "mama mama up up." mama didn't come. He waited a while, then tried again. "mama mama up up." still no mama. After a little bit, he heard mama's voice. It sounded funny and he didn't know those words. "mama mama." No response. Grayson began to get upset. "baba baba!" Still no answer. Grayson rocked back and forth, unhappy. His lower lip trembled. Mama or baba always came when he called.

Not long after that he heard the door to the corridor open and baba's footsteps running through the living room, into the bedroom. Then he heard baba calling someone - he thought he heard mah-coy's voice. Other people came bursting into their living room - he heard lots of voices. Then baba came and picked him up, drying the tears off his face.

"Shh, Grayson, it's all right now. Dr McCoy will make mama all better."

Grayson leaned against baba's warm chest. _What was wrong with mama?_ He wanted to see her. He reached up and patted baba's face. "mama?"

Baba carried him over and stood in the bedroom door. Grayson could see mama laying on the bed. She looked funny. Mah-coy and nurse were doing something to her with their funny shiny things. After a few minutes, her eyes opened and she looked around, blinking. Baba sighed. Grayson patted his cheek again. Mah-coy would make mama all better, Grayson was sure of that.


	53. Chapter 53:Mama All Better?

**Baby Book - Mama All Better?**

Grayson sat on the floor on his side of the baby gate, watching what baba was doing. First he brought a blanket and laid it over the couch, up high over the back and tucked down around the cushions. Then he brought some pillows and piled them up at the far end of the couch, against the arm. What was he doing?

Then he walked into the bedroom, where mama had been for several days. He came back out, carrying mama in his arms. Grayson was glad to see mama, but she looked funny. She had dark circles under her eyes. Grayson wanted to give her a hug. He hung onto the bars of the baby gate, watching, as baba set mama down on the couch, against the pillows. Then baba brought another blanket and covered mama up, tucking the blanket down around her feet. He brushed the side of mama's face with his hand, looking down at her. Mama smiled up at him. Oh, it was nice to see mama smile. And baba didn't look as sad as he had been, either.

Now baba was making tea. Grayson knew about tea. It was HOT. Grayson mustn't touch the teapot or the cups when they had tea in them. Baba had let Grayson stick his finger in the cup of hot tea one day. He never tried to do that again. Baba had said that Grayson would not like it, and baba had been right. Baba took a cup of tea to mama and she blew across the top of it, laughing a little, and then she sipped some tea. She was sitting there so quiet. Grayson liked it better when mama laughed and sang and danced around the room.

Mama finished her tea and baba took the cup away. Now he brought mama a little plate with some fruit and something else on it. What did he bring her? Oh, the bread with the funny name - cross something. That was good bread. Grayson would like some. Baba made the food machine make something else. What was it? Baba set plates on the table, put the food down. Now he was coming this way. Oh, good, Grayson was hungry too.

"Are you ready for breakfast, Grayson?"

"b'kfas', yes, baba, on'gee."

Spock lifted Grayson up over the baby gate and sat down at the table with Grayson straddling one thigh, one arm wrapped around his middle. He moved one plate close to the edge of the table, so that Grayson could reach what was on it. Slices of apple, a finger-size piece of cheese, and part of one of those good breads like he had given mama. Good breakfast! No oatmeal! Grayson put a slice of apple in his mouth and chewed it with his little teeth. Oh, yummy, good.

What was baba eating? The rest of the good bread, orange slices, some cheese. Baba was hungry too. Had mama eaten all her food? Yes, good, mama needed to eat.

When all of Grayson's breakfast was gone, baba carried him into the bathroom and washed his hands and face. Then he carried him back in the living room and crossed over to the couch. Baba set Grayson down on the couch beside mama. Oh, good, Grayson hadn't been able to hug mama for a _long_ time. Baba sat down on the floor beside the couch, one hand against Grayson's back, the other touching mama.

"Be careful, Grayson, mama is still not all better yet. Don't climb on her."

Grayson patted mama's arm. Mama smiled at him and ruffled his hair. Grayson laughed. He would make mama happy and she would get all better. Grayson and baba both needed mama to be all better very soon.


	54. Chapter 54:Working at Home

**Baby Book - 54**

Grayson sat on his floor cloth, surrounded by toys. Mama and baba were _working_. Mama was sitting on the couch, with her stylus in her hand, writing notes. Some day he would get her to teach him how to do that. Baba was sitting at the desk, reading messages at the com link. That was another thing he wanted to learn how to do. Mama was looking better today, those dark circles under her eyes were almost gone. And she had said that the day care center was going to open back up tomorrow. He could hardy wait to see his friends again.

He pushed himself up off the floor and toddled over to the gate. He hung on the top bar and craned his neck around to see into the other room. Mama was still sitting on the couch and baba was still sitting at the desk. When were they going to be finished? He would like to play with them. He fussed a little, just to see what they would do. Mama looked up at him and smiled. Baba kept working.

"Spock, why don't you lift him over the gate so that he can walk around in here? I'm almost done."

He lifted his eyes from the comlink screen and looked steadily at her. "Will you promise not to try to pick him up? You are not that strong yet."

"I'm felling _much_ better. You know that. I'm sure I could pick him up without dropping him if I needed to, but I won't need to because you're here." She smiled at him. He sighed. But he rose from his chair and went over and lifted Grayson up over the gate and set him back down on the floor in the living room.

Grayson was happy. He was in the same room as mama and baba. He chortled happily and toddled over to the couch where mama was. He patted her leg. "mama mama."

"Yes, Grayson, it's mama. Let mama finish her work. I play with you in a few minutes." She turned back to her PADD, ruffling her son's hair absently.

Grayson turned and looked at baba. No, better leave him alone. He was still _working_. But there was something on the corner of the desk. That looked like a yummy. He walked along the edge of the couch until he got almost to the desk. Then he put his hand right up to the edge of the desk, trying to reach that interesting thing. Baba's hand reached out and pulled it back from the edge, way away where he couldn't reach it. He had thought baba was busy and wouldn't see him. He stuck his lower lip out. Whatever that was that baba had looked very interesting. He would really like to taste it.

He walked around the edge of the desk. If baba picked him up and set him on his leg, then Grayson might be able to reach that thing. He patted baba's leg. "Up, baba, up."

"No, Grayson, not now. And you can not have that. It is not for children." Baba never took his eyes of the screen.

Grayson pouted. Baba looked at him. Grayson decided he better go somewhere else. When baba looked like that, he wasn't going to let him get away with anything. He turned around and walked back over to mama. Maybe she would give him a yummy. "mama mama yummy. Peas mama."

"No, Grayson, you can't have anything to eat now. It's almost lunch time." Mama ruffled his hair again and patted his cheek, without even looking at him. Grayson looked around for something to do. There were the books that mama and baba read to him. He could go look at a book. He sat down on the floor and picked up the top book on the stack. No, he didn't want that one. He picked up the next one. No, not that one, either. The next one, however, looked good. He opened up the book and looked at the pictures, turning the pages carefully. Mama and baba got so upset when he tore a page. There were lots of pictures of animals in this book. This was a horse and that was a dog and this was a gee-raff and that - what was that? He didn't remember. He turned around, holding the book up. "mama, mama, what dis?"

Mama looked over at him. "That's a hippopotamus, Grayson."

"hip-bo-bot-ums"

"Well, that's pretty close." Mama was smiling now.

"horse, dog, gee-raf, hip-bo-bot-ums, cow, peeg, hefa-lump."

"no, Grayson, that's an elephant."

"Ellie-fumt"

"El-a-funt"

"elll-aaa-fund"

"Closer. Okay, baby, bring mama the book."

Grayson smiled widely and pushed up off the floor, going quickly over to mama with the book clutched in his hand. He got to the couch and handed mama the book, but he couldn't climb up on the couch by himself - it was too tall. He patted the top of the couch, beside where mama sat. "Up, mama, up."

Mama looked over at baba and then reached for Grayson. Baba spoke without even looked over. "You did promise, Nyota."

"Well, he wants up."

Baba just looked at them.

"Spock, will you pretty please come over here and lift Grayson up on the couch so that I can read to him?" Mama's voice sounded funny, like a little girl's voice. Baba raised his eyebrows at her. Grayson looked from one to the other. What were they doing?

"Well, if you won't help me I'll just have to do it myself." mama reached for him again and baba stood up from his chair and came over and lifted Grayson up onto the couch. Baba leaned over and whispered something in mama's ear and she laughed at him, reaching up to pull on his ear. Grayson laughed. Playing with ears was funny and it tickled. Maybe mama would tickle _his_ ears, too. But she just cuddled him up beside her and started to read the book to him.

He leaned back against mama and repeated the words with her. This was nice. And baba was going over to the food machine, so lunch was coming up soon. Maybe after lunch they would all take a nap together again like they did yesterday. That had been very nice, laying there between mama and baba. And tomorrow he would get to see his friends. Grayson was happy.


	55. Chapter 55:Friends Again

**Baby Book - Friends Again**

Grayson saw his friends and leaned away from baba's arms, eager to get down and go play. Baba set him on the floor and he went straight to the sandbox, climbing over the side to give Joey a hug. There was Suzy, as well, and he patted her cheek, happy to see her again. All three of the children laughed with joy at being together again. It was only a few minutes until Sam's mother brought him in. The other three went running as fast as they could to gather round him and welcome him back. It was so good to see friends again!

They were back in the sandbox, shoveling sand into a bucket, when Grayson looked up and saw Jilly. Her father was handing her to the attendant. She was holding her head up, looking around the room. When she saw Grayson, she smiled widely. Grayson smiled back. _ Jilly_. His eyes followed as the attendant carried her over and placed her in the small bed. He would have gotten up then to go see her, but Sam smacked his shovel down in the sand, causing sand to fly up everywhere. Grayson threw up his hands to keep the sand out of his eyes and then Joey threw some sand and the next thing they knew the attendants where there scolding everyone.

So it was a while before Grayson got a chance to go see Jilly, and she was sleeping then. He stood beside the small bed, looking at her. She was _so_ pretty! He was reaching out to touch her when the attendant came up behind him and spoke softly.

"Mustn't wake her up, Grayson. She still little enough that she needs more sleep. You can talk to her when she wakes up." The attendant took him by the hand and led him back over to where the other children were playing.

They had the fuzzies out now, rocking and singing. That was fun, too. Grayson sat down and Suzy handed him a fuzzy to hug. This one had very long ears. They were pointed like baba's, but much, much longer. Grayson thought they were funny, so he laughed. Then everyone laughed. Friends again.

When Grayson saw the attendant lift Jilly out of the small bed and take her to the changing table, he waited. Soon the attendant sat down in the rocking chair with Jilly and a bottle. Grayson went to stand beside them and watch drink her milk. He waited until she was through and the attendant had put Jilly up on her shoulder and patted her back. Jilly burped loudly. Grayson laughed. Jilly turned her head and looked at him. Then she laughed, too. Grayson was very happy. Friends again.

Everyone was here except Stevie. Where was Stevie? It was almost time for lunch and Stevie was not here yet. Grayson tugged at the leg of the attendants uniform pants. "Stevie? Where Stevie?"

"Stevie's not quite well yet, Grayson. He'll be back in a day or two, Okay?"

"Stevie sick?"

"Yes, Stevie's been sick. Like your mama was, Grayson. But he's getting better, just like your mama did. He'll be back to play with you soon."

Grayson nodded. Okay. He missed Stevie. But there came the lunch cart and he was hungry. He held up his hands to be washed. The attendant laughed and went to get the washcloth. Lunch coming up.


	56. Chapter 56: RePete

**Baby Book - Re-Pete**

Grayson, Joey, Suzy, Sam, and Stevie were sitting on the floor of the day care center, playing with the blocks. They made pretty patterns with the different colored blocks. Then they looked at the patterns and moved the blocks some more. This was interesting.

After a while they got bored with that and went over to the fuzzies and played with them for a while. Pretty soon they were heading for the sandbox. They had just settled into the sandbox when there were people walking in the door. They all looked up to see who was there. Was that Pete? They hadn't seen Pete in a long time. All the little heads craned in that direction.

Pete stood behind his father's legs. He was holding onto his father's trouser leg and peeking out at them. He had one thumb in his mouth. He looked _different_. Grayson wasn't sure just what the difference was, but there definitely was one.

The attendants were talking with Pete's parents. Pete's parents gave them something that looked like one of the things that mama and baba had on their desks - what did they call them? PADDs. Yes, it looked like a small PADD. Wonder what was on it? The attendant took the small PADD and read what was on it. Then she smiled and held out her hand to Pete's parents. They all shook hands. Then she leaned down and talked to Pete. Pete hid behind his father, peeking out around his leg. Finally he held out his hand and the attendant took his hand and brought him over close to her. Pete's parents left.

The attendant talked to Pete for a while and then walked over to the sandbox, bringing Pete with her. "Hello, everyone, here's Pete. Pete, you remember Grayson, and Joey, and Suzy. But you haven't met Sam and Stevie yet. And over in the small bed is Jilly. Everyone be nice to Pete. Pete is going to be nice to you, too, aren't you Pete?"

Pete nodded his head, not saying anything. Grayson wasn't sure about this. Pete could be _not _nice. But he seemed _different_. Grayson looked at him. Pete almost looked like he wanted to cry. Grayson held out his hand. "Come play, Pete."

Pete smiled. He climbed into the sandbox. Grayson handed him a pail and Pete held it while Grayson shoveled sand into it. They both laughed. This was fun.

When they climbed out of the sandbox, Grayson took Pete by the hand and walked over to the small bed. "Jilly, Pete." He touched Jilly's cheek with one finger. "Pretty Jilly." He looked at Pete. Pete nodded his head. Yes, Pete thought Jilly was pretty, too.

***

When mama came to pick Grayson up, Grayson brought her over to Pete. "Pete, mama. Pete nice." Mama smiled at him and Pete, ruffling his hair. Friends were nice.


	57. Chapter 57:Finnerpaint

**Baby Book - Finnerpaint**

Mama set him down on the floor and he hurried off the see what that new thing was. He didn't even see mama go. There was a new table, low down to the floor, just the right height for him. It was long but not very wide. There were little benches on both sides, just the right size for him to sit on. Oh, this was nice. He sat on one of the little benches, patting the top of the table. He laughed. Oh, look, just my size.

Suzy came in and saw him there. She tugged at her baba's arm, telling him she wanted down now. She came over fast, patting the table and the benches. She sat down, too, laughing. Wasn't this nice?

Joey was the next one to join them, laughing and patting them as they sat there on the little benches. He almost fell off the bench the first time he tried to sit on it, but the attendant was there quickly to help him. Sam and Stevie and Pete came all at once and quickly joined them. This was fun.

They all looked around. The attendant was coming their way with a big box in her hand. What now? She pulled out something made out of cloth, all white. She came over to Grayson and slid it down between him and the table, pulling his hands into sleeves, then tying it at the back of his neck. The white thing covered all his clothes. What was this for? She did the same thing to all the others. Then she reached into the box and brought out big sheets of white paper and put one in front of each of them. She also put down one for herself. They were all watching her, trying to figure out what she was doing.

Now she drew some little bottles out of the box. They were all different colors. She took the lids off the bottles and set them all in the middle of the table, where everyone could reach them. She stuck her fingers in the red bottle and brought them out with _stuff_ on the ends. What was that? She put her fingers on the paper and moved them across the paper. A line of red showed up behind her fingers as she moved them. OHHHH.

Now she dipped her fingers in the blue and made another movement across the paper. A wide blue line was there now. AHHHH.

Then there was yellow, and green, and pink, and purple. WOW!

Now she was telling them to do what she had done. They all looked at each other, then at her. Could they really do that? Grayson looked at the blue bottle. He stuck one finger in. Wet. He pulled his finger out and looked at it. It was all blue. That was funny. He laughed. Then he took his finger and drew it across the paper. Blue line on white paper. Nice. Now maybe a green line, no red. Red like mama's uniform. Red and blue on white paper. He laughed again. FUN!

***

When baba came to pick him up, he pulled on his hand. "Come, look, baba. Finner-paint!"


	58. Chapter 58:Bubbles

**Baby Book - Bubbles**

It was baba's turn to bring him to the day care center. This morning baba let him ride way up on his shoulders. Grayson really liked that. He could see all the way down the corridor. He laughed and waved at people. He was careful not to pull baba's hair or grab his ears - if he did that, baba would take him down. There were rules. Grayson knew baba liked rules. Sometimes rules were hard to remember, but the rules about how to act when riding way up on baba's shoulders were ones Grayson never forgot, because he liked this so much!

When they got to the day care center, baba lifted him down off his shoulders and gave him a little hug before setting him on the floor. Grayson patted baba's knee and said bye and went off across the room. Jilly was already in the little bed, laying on her stomach with her head up, looking all around. Grayson went right over to say hello. Jilly smiled at him and then laughed out loud. Pretty Jilly. Grayson smiled back.

Joey came over and patted Grayson on the arm. _Let's go play, Grayson_.

Grayson looked at Joey, than back at Jilly. He really wanted to stay and talk to Jilly. But Joey was pulling on him now. _Later, Jilly. _He followed to see where Joey was going. Oh, the sandbox. There were some new things in the sandbox. What was this? He shoveled sand into it, but the sand all fell through the bottom. He turned the new bucket over and looked at the bottom - there were lots and lots of little holes. How interesting. He dumped a shovelful of sand in, holding the bucket up high, so that he could see the bottom. The sand all ran out, one little stream from each hole. He did it again. How did the sand decide which little hole to fall through?

***

After naptime, something interesting happened. The new attendant brought out another box that no one had seen before. This one was light blue. Everyone gathered round to see what was in it. The attendant gave each child a funny thing - a circle on the end of a stick. What were they supposed to do with these? Then she took a big bottle and unscrewed the cap. She took one of the circle-on-a-stick things and dipped it in the bottle. She held it up so that they could all see that there was something in the circle now. What was that? It was shiny. She held the circle up in front of her face and blew into it. The shiny stuff bulged out and then WHOA! It made a little ball and floated off, away from the circle thing. Everybody watched the shiny little ball float away. Grayson stuck out one finger and touched the little ball. POP! It burst onto his finger, making it wet. Suzy scrunched up her face and cried. Grayson had made the pretty ball go away. The attendant gave her a hug and dipped her circle into the bottle again, coming up with more of the shiny stuff on it. She blew again and there was another shiny little ball, floating on the air. Grayson inched closer to her, his circle-on-a-stick in his hand. He hovered closer and closer to the bottle. She smiled at him and held the bottle where he could stick his circle in. He pulled it out - there was the shiny stuff! He puffed on it and a tiny, wobbly ball spun out. He laughed aloud. Oh, that was nice! Suzy saw the tiny ball and laughed too. Now the attendant helped Suzy stick her circle in the bottle and showed her out to puff against it. Suzy had a tiny little shiny ball floating off. She was smiling too. Soon the air was full of shiny bubbles floating around. This was great fun.

***

When baba came to pick him up, Grayson kept saying. "Bubble, baba, bubble." but baba didn't know what Grayson meant. The attendant came over and showed baba the bubble bottle and baba nodded. Maybe he would get some for Grayson to have at home?


	59. Chapter 59:Differences

**Baby Book - Differences**

Mama and baba were talking to unca Jeem. Grayson sat quietly on baba's knee and chewed on his soy dog. They were talking about new people coming to live on the Enterprise. Grayson's ears perked up when unca Jeem said something about a little boy just his age. A new friend? He could hardly wait.

***

The next morning when baba dropped him off at the day care center, his favorite attendant, Miss Betty, took his hand and led him over to the back corner, near the small bed where Jilly was. She said she had somebody she wanted him to meet. When they got there, Grayson stopped and looked. This little boy was _different_. Grayson knew that all people were not alike. Baba had ears which were very pointed, much more so than his own, and when he had cut his hand, Grayson had seen that his blood was green. Mama's blood was red. Grayson knew that because she had hit her toes on the baby gate and torn a toenail. It had bled all over the floor. Mama's skin was a pretty brown, darker than his own, and her ears were round. Baba's skin was much paler. Jilly's hair was such a pretty red, but his and mama's and baba's were all black. Joey's was blonde. Sam's was brown. But this little boy was _different_. He was a pale blue, all over, and his hair was white. He had two round things sticking up from his forehead. Grayson stared. He stuck out one hand toward those round things on the boy's head, then remembered his manners and dropped his hand again. He looked at Miss Betty. "Who dis?"

Miss Betty smiled at him. "Grayson, this is Shron. Shron just moved to the Enterprise with his mother and father. He will be playing here with you every day, just like Joey and Suzy and the others. Can you show him where everything is?"

Grayson looked at Shron. He held out one hand. "Come, Shron. Come see." Shron slowly held out his hand to Grayson. Grayson took Shron's hand - oh, it was COLD! "Cold hand, Shron. Funny." Grayson laughed. Shron looked odd for a minute and gave a tiny little laugh. Grayson tugged at his hand, pulling him over to the pile of fuzzies.

"Look, Shron, fuzzies." Grayson picked up one of the fuzzies and handed it to Shron. Shron looked at it strangely, then back to Grayson. Grayson picked up another fuzzy and hugged it. He smiled at Shron. Shron wrapped his arms around the fuzzy and held it close to his chest. He smiled. Shron liked the fuzzy. Grayson smiled and took Shron's hand again, leading him over to show him the blocks. They sat down on the floor with their fuzzies and Grayson showed Shron how to stack the blocks up.

Then Joey arrived and came over to see what Grayson was doing. Grayson took Joey's hand and put it in Shron's. "Joey, Shron, friends." Joey looked at Shron and reached for the round things on Shron's head. "No, Joey, not nice." Joey took his hand back. He looked at Shron for a minute and then smiled. Shron smiled back. "yes, friends."

Sam and Stevie came in and went straight for the sandbox. Joey and Grayson got up too, and Grayson pulled Shron along behind them. "sanbox, Shron. Sanbox nice." Everybody climbed into the sandbox except Shron. He didn't look happy. Grayson patted the sand beside him. "Come, Shron, come play." Shron climbed into the sandbox, not very happy, and sat down beside Grayson. Grayson handed him one of the new things with all the holes in it and showed him how to shovel sand into it so that it all ran out the bottom. Shron was fascinated with that and sat there shoveling sand and watching it run out until it was time for lunch.

***

After naptime, Shron climbed back into the sandbox, shoveling sand through the thing with holes in it again. Grayson and Joey climbed back into the sandbox, too, piling the sand up into a pile, then flattening it out again. Sand was fun.

***

When mama came to get him, Grayson pulled her over to Shron. "Shron, mama, friend." Mama knelt down beside the sandbox and talked to Shron, all funny. Grayson didn't know those words, but Shron did. Why did Shron know words that he didn't? Grayson pulled on mama's sleeve. "Words, mama, teach words."

Mama looked at him and smiled. "You want to learn to speak Shron's language, Grayson? Okay, mama will teach you some words. Come on now, baba's waiting in the mess hall with Pavel and Sulu. Let's go eat supper."

Grayson wiggled and laughed. Supper with Pabel and Zulu? He held up his hands for mama to carry his so that they could get there fast. He remembered to lean over mama's shoulder and wave at Shron. "Bye Shron. Play tomorrow."


	60. Chapter 60:Running for Jilly

**Baby Book - Running for Jilly**

Everyone was fun of energy today. They ran around the edge of the big room, laughing and having fun. Miss Betty and Miss Lou and the other attendants just laughed at them and let them run. Around and around they went, laughing at each other. It was fun to run.

Grayson ran past the small bed where Jilly was and stopped dead in his tracks. He turned and looked at Jilly. She was sitting up! He stood there with his mouth hanging open. He had never seen Jilly sitting up by herself before.

Joey was running so fast that he ran right into Grayson and they both went toppling down to the floor. They sat on the floor and looked at each other, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

"Why stop?" Joey wasn't sure why Grayson hadn't kept running.

"Look at Jilly. Jilly sitting up." Grayson pointed to the pretty little girl in the small bed.

Joey turned his head to look. He smiled at Jilly. "Jilly play now?"

"No, Jilly little. No play yet." Grayson pushed himself up off the floor and took two steps over the side of the small bed. Sitting up, Jilly's head was higher than his. He had to tilt his head back to look at her. Jilly smiled at him and waved her hands in the air, laughing. He smiled, too. He really liked Jilly.

Sam and Stevie came running by, with Shron right behind them. Pete was the last one in line. Joey turned and ran after Pete. Then Suzy came running up to see what was going on.

"Look, Suzy, Jilly sitting up." Grayson grabbed Suzy's hand and pulled her over to the small bed. Suzy looked up at Jilly and laughed.

"Pretty Jilly. Play Jilly."

"No, Jilly little. No play yet." Grayson patted Suzy. The other boys came running past again. "Run Suzy, run!" Grayson took off as fast as his little legs could take him. Suzy was right after. Jilly sat in the small bed and watched, waving her arms and laughing.

***

When baba came to get him, he was all tired out and almost forgot to show baba that Jilly could sit up now. When he dragged baba over to the small bed, baba looked at Jilly, then looked back at Grayson. He didn't say very much, but he did carry him to the mess hall.

Mama already had their food, and Grayson sat on her lap and ate his cheese hungrily. Running made you hungry. Baba and mama were talking. Baba was telling mama that Jilly could sit up now. Mama looked down at him and smiled. "You really like Jilly, don't you, Grayson?"

"yes, mama, Jilly mine." Grayson didn't understand why mama and baba looked so funny.


	61. Chapter 61:Wading Pool

**Baby Book - Wading Pool**

Everyone was so excited. Today they were going to get to go to the new wading pool. In the corridor outside the day care center, there was one of the electrical carts parked, with a flat trailer hooked to the back of it. Miss Betty was putting them up on top of it, the other attendants making them sit down, hold on. It was exciting and everyone was laughing and waving at the people in the hall. When everyone else was on the flat trailer and sitting down, Miss Betty took Jilly from her small bed and handed her up, then climbed up herself, settling Jilly down on her lap and telling the driver to GO!

Down the corridors they went, laughing and waving, until they got to the gym. Grayson had been to the gym before, but some of the others had not. Miss Betty cautioned them to be careful and always hold hands. She lined them up, the attendants spaced between them, everyone holding hands, and they walked through the gym, into the locker room. The attendants helped everybody take off their clothes and put on swim diapers, and they were going out of the locker room and into the pool area. Around the big pool they went, off to the end of the large area.

There it was! Just for them! They all laughed and shouted, happy. Miss Lou got in the wading pool and started lifting them in - Joey and Suzy and Sam and Stevie and Pete and Grayson and Shron all in the pool! Miss Betty sat on the edge and put Jilly down in the water, too. Jilly laughed and patted the water, making it splash. Then everybody was patting the water and making it splash. Water splashing everywhere! Oh, this was fun!

Grayson walked out into the middle of the wading pool. The water came almost up to his middle. He tried to stamp his foot, but it didn't work very well out in the middle. Over at the edge it did. He went there, stamping and stomping, making lots of splashes. This was really fun! He started around the edge of the poll, stamping water. Joey followed him. Shron was next. Soon they were all in a line, walking around the edge of the pool, stomping and splashing and laughing. Miss Betty laughed to see them so happy.

The attendants let them splash and stomp and smack the water until they were all tired out. Then they lifted them all over the small lip onto the deck and took them back into the locker room and dried them off and put their clothes back on. Then they all held hands and walked back out to the trailer waiting for them in the corridor. Back to the day care center they went, tired little boys and girls now. The attendants lifted them down off the trailer and took them in to lay down and have a nap. Nobody complained - they were all tired out from stomping in the water.

***

When mama came to pick him up, Grayson babbled on and on about the new wading pool until mama laughed and laughed at him. Grayson just smiled.


	62. Chapter 62:Story Time

**Baby Book - Story Time**

Everyone was looking forward to what was going to happen today. Miss Betty had told them on Monday that Friday would be story time. The Big Kids were coming to read to them. They didn't get to play with the Big Kids very often. Every day they had asked, Was today the day? And every day Miss Betty had said, no, wait until Friday. When was Friday? Was it Today? Finally today was Friday and the Big Kids were coming. It was EXCITING!

Grayson kept going to the door and looking down the hall to see whether they were coming yet. He couldn't wait. He went back to the sandbox. They weren't coming yet. Then Joey went to look down the hall. He was hardly back in the sandbox when Sam and Shron went to peek out. No, one one coming yet. When? It was hard to wait.

Finally they heard footsteps in the corridor. Everyone except Jilly went running to the door. YES! Big Kids coming! Here they were!

Four girls and three boys entered the day care center. They were all sizes and shapes. Each one had a book. They came in and sat down, in the chairs Miss Betty and Miss Lou had set up in a curve against the wall. All the toddlers came and sat on the floor in front of them. Miss Betty got Jilly and set her down beside Grayson. Grayson put his arm around her and hugged her. Jilly looked at him and smiled. This was very nice.

The first Big Kid held up his book so that everyone could see the picture on the front. That was a funny picture, everybody laughed. Then he opened the book and began to read. Every time he turned the page, he held the book up so that they could see the new picture. Everyone was quiet and listened hard. It was a funny story. Almost every page they laughed and laughed. When the story was finished, they clapped their hands, like Miss Betty had taught them.

The next Big Kid held up her book. She had more trouble with that. Her hands were different. But her voice was so very nice. It was wonderful to listen to. And she had a different voice for every person in the story she read. That was interesting. At the end they all clapped again.

Every story was different. Every Big Kid was different. Some read better than others. Some of the books were funnier than others, some had more pictures than words. It was the best day in a long time.

By the time the last story was finished, Jilly had gone to sleep, leaning against Grayson. He didn't dare to move and wake her up. Miss Betty noticed that she had gone to sleep and came to get her. Grayson wished she had left her there a while longer. He pushed up off the floor and went over to the Big Kids to say thank you. Mama and baba and Miss Betty kept telling him about manners. He went from one Big Kid to the next, shaking hands and saying thank you. The Big Kids all smiled. They were happy, too.

***

When mama came to get him, he told her all about the stories. He didn't have the books with those stories in them. Why not mama? Why didn't he have all the stories? Mama told him there were many, many books and they didn't have room in their quarters for all of them. But when he learned to read, he could read them on the com link. Grayson wanted to know when he was going to learn to read. "Soon, mama? Soon? I want to read ALL the stories!" He didn't know why mama thought that was funny.


	63. Chapter 63:Transporting

**Baby Book - Transporting**

Grayson was really, really excited. Mama and baba were taking him somewhere OFF THE SHIP! He had never been off the ship before. They were going to be_ transported_ somewhere. He had never been transported before. He wiggled all over, he was so excited.

Mama had packed a duffle bag. He had watched while baba brought her things and she folded them and fit them in. Underwear and pajamas and shirts and pants and socks and shoes. He got to sit on the big bed right beside the duffle and watch. And then baba had fastened the duffle up and set it right by the door. Then mama gave him a bath and dressed him up in brand new clothes while baba took a shower too and got dressed. And then baba sat and read him stories while mama took a shower and got dressed.

And then baba got out something he hadn't seen before and mama helped him strap it on his back. What was that? And then baba sat down on the bed and mama picked him up and stuck him right in that thing. There was a little seat inside it and holes for his feet to go through. His feet hung down against baba's back and he could look right over baba's shoulder to see what was going on. Mama reached down inside and found some straps and buckled them up around him, so that he was held tight. Then baba stood up. Oh, my, that was fun! He almost grabbed baba's ears, he was so excited! But he stopped before he did - baba wouldn't like that. He caught hold of the strap that went over baba's shoulder instead.

Baba stooped down to pick up the duffle bag and they were headed out the door, down the corridor. Off down the corridor, into the turbolift. WOO! Stomach felt funny. Out of the turbolift, down the corridor again. Into a strange room where he hadn't been before. There were round lights on the floor. And there was scoddy! Hi, scoddy! Scoddy smiled at him and said something to baba and mama about _vacation_. What was vacation?

Mama stepped up on the raised part of the floor and stood on one of the round lights, then baba set the duffle bag on another and stood on a third. He reached up and took Grayson's hands in his, holding them on his shoulders, saying 'be quiet Grayson', so Grayson was very still, waiting to see what would happen. Scoddy did something and then said 'Energizing' and everything got really weird. All swirly and funny. Then everything changed! Scoddy wasn't there anymore! All the colors were different! Grayson looked around in amazement. Mama laughed at him, patting his cheek.

Mama and baba said something to the man at the console and walked out the door, down a corridor - but this corridor was different! It was a different color than he was used to - a light blue. And it wasn't as wide as most of the corridors on the ship. Grayson's eyes were wide as he looked around, taking in everything. And then they were at a door, and going through, and WHOA! Where were they? How high was the ceiling? He raised his head and looked up and mama reached up quickly and pulled his head back down.

"Don't look at the sun, Grayson. No, baby, it will hurt your eyes. We need to get him some sunglasses, Spock, I didn't even think of that."

Baba rumbled assent and started off down the - well he didn't know what it was. It was like a floor, only there weren't any walls. Mama needed to teach him new words. And there were big things up ahead, what were those? And there was something really strange on the floor, all green and fuzzy. What was that? He saw trees, but they were _much_ bigger than the ones Zulu showed him. He was getting dizzy from swiveling his head back and forth to take in everything. Baba finally reached back and caught hold of his hands.

"Grayson, stop pounding on me."

"Sorry, baba. Look, look, everything, look."

Mama laughed again. "Yes, baby, there's lots to look at. Everything's strange to you, I know. Mama knows you're all excited." She reached up and patted his cheek.

"Bacation, mama? Is this bacation?"

"Yes, baby, we're on vacation. For a whole week. So many new things for you to see and do." She turned her face to baba. "Now aren't you glad I talked you into taking shore leave? See how excited he is? You're going to have so much fun watching him learn all this new stuff."

Baba tilted his head down to mama, giving her his little smile. "Yes, k'diwa, once again you are correct. He is very stimulated. Perhaps he will sleep well tonight."

For some reason, mama giggled at baba. Grayson was too busy looking at everything to wonder why.


	64. Chapter 64:Grass and Sky

Author's Note: For those of you that are curious - the time is now early 2270 and Grayson is about 18 months old. And my kids were using 3 word sentences by their first birthdays - I have it recorded in their baby books. And of course, Grayson is a genius :-)

**___________**

**Baby Book - Grass and Sky**

Grayson woke up in a strange place. He looked around. He was not in his own bed, in his own room. Where was he? He was scared. Where were mama and baba? What was that thing on the wall that the bright light was coming from? He stuck out his lower lip and it trembled, just a little. "mama?"

"Hey, baby, are you awake?" There was mama, coming through the door, wearing one of baba's tee-shirts. She lifted him up out of the bed and hugged him. "Come and see. Baba has something interesting to show you." She walked through the door into another room and through the open door on the other side of that room. And they were in that strange place where the ceiling was so very high. Baba was standing beside a very tall tree, looking into a hole on the side of the tree. Mama carried him over there and baba took him, telling him to be very quiet. Then he pointed into the hole. What was that? Tiny little faces looking at him!

Grayson gasped, and then put his hands over his mouth. Baba had told him to be quiet. He looked hard at those little faces in the hole. What were those? They had long things sticking out beside their noses, like the cats in the pictures in one of his books. What were those things called? Oh, whiskers. They had whiskers. After he had looked at them for several minutes, they went way down in the hole and he couldn't see them any more. He whispered to baba, "Make them come back, baba." But baba said he couldn't do that, but maybe they would see them again later.

Then mama called and said breakfast was ready. Baba carried him back through the door into the place that had regular ceilings and sat him down in a little chair like the ones in the day care center. Mama gave him a bowl of oatmeal with raisins in it and gave baba one, too. There was toast, too, he could see mama spreading butter on. And juice. Mama gave him a little cup of juice to drink. It was good.

After he finished eating his breakfast, baba took him into the bathroom and they had a shower. Mama had clean clothes all laid out for him and baba dressed him while mama took her shower. Then they went back out to that place with the high ceiling. Mama said that was called 'sky'. And baba set him down on the floor where the green stuff was. It was really funny stuff. 'grass' mama said. And there were some little flowers growing in it, too, little tiny flowers. But mama didn't know their names. He walked around on the grass for a while. It felt funny. It was bumpy and he had to be careful how he put his feet down.

After a while the 'sky' got dark. Mama looked up and laughed. "It's going to rain!" baba picked him up and headed for the other place, but mama said they should stay outside and sit in the rain. Baba didn't look happy at all.

"Spock, he's never seen rain! It won't hurt you to get wet for a few minutes. Come on, watch his face."

"He could watch the rain from inside. It is not necessary to get wet."

"Spoilsport." mama stuck her tongue out at baba. Grayson laughed. Then something hit his head. It felt wet. Surprised, he put his hand up to feel. More wet fell on his head. He turned his face up. There was water falling from the way high ceiling - sky. Was there a big shower up there? He was confused. He looked at baba and mama. Mama was laughing now and dancing around in the grass. She must like the water falling on her. Baba was not laughing. Grayson reached up and patted his face. Baba looked down at him and raised one eyebrow, then quirked up his lips.

"You are right, Nyota, he is most confused. Now come and explain it to him."

"You're the scientist, you explain it." But mama came over and told him, no, it wasn't a shower, it was 'rain'. This was a very strange place.

By bedtime, Grayson knew a lot of new words: sky, grass, inside, outside, rain, ground, path, house, bush, window, sun. So many new things to learn about. He was very tired and went right to sleep. The last thing he heard was mama giggling. Baba must have said something very funny to her.


	65. Chapter 65:Beach and Lake

**Baby Book - Beach and Lake**

Grayson woke up in the new place again. He sat up in the little bed and looked out the 'window' at the 'sunshine'. He could see the tree that had the hole in it with the little faces inside. He could see the 'grass' too. This place was not as scary today. He stood up and leaned on the side of the bed, trying to see more. The window was too far away and he could not see out the corners. Where were baba and mama? Just then baba stuck his head through the door and saw him.

"Yes, he is awake. I will get him." baba came and picked him up out of the bed and set him on the floor. He ran into the other room where mama was putting breakfast on the table. He went straight to the chair that was for him and held up his arms for baba to pick him up and put him in the chair. He was hungry!

After breakfast and showers and getting dressed, mama put some things in a little bag and they left the 'house' and walked down the 'path'. Baba made him hold his hand. They walked through some trees and then there was something very, very strange. Grayson could see far, far - a big, big place. He turned his head all around. It was all flat and what was that? It looked like sand! A very, very big sandbox? He got very excited. He forgot to hold baba's hand and ran to see the sand.

Baba just said "Grayson!" He stopped and looked back. Uh-oh. He waited for baba and mama to get to him.

"Sorry, baba. I forget." He took hold of baba's hand again. Mama reached down and ruffled his hair.

"It's important, Grayson. You mustn't forget to hold either my hand or baba's all the time, or else we'll have to put you in the carrier."

"No, mama, want to run. Want to play in sand. Be good, mama, baba."

Baba looked at him and nodded, then started walking again. They walked on the sand. It was funny to walk on sand, it slipped under his feet. If he stamped down, it made a big dent, shaped like his foot. They walked and walked and then there was something he had never seen before. It was like the wading pool or the big swimming pool that baba took him to sometimes, but it was SOOO big! Grayson stared and stared. Then he pointed to all the water. "Look, look! Big, big pool."

"Lake, Grayson. It's called a lake. And the sand is called a beach."

Lake, beach. "Grayson like lake and beach." He smiled up at baba and mama. Mama laughed. She opened up the little bag and took out some towels and spread them on the sand. She sat down and took Grayson's shoes and socks off and told him he could walk around in the sand. After a while, she took off his tee-shirt and pants, too. He ran around in the sand while mama and baba sat on the towels and watched him.

Then baba said something to mama and they took off their shirts and pants and shoes too. But they still had some clothes on. Baba had on his swim trunks. Grayson wasn't sure what mama had on, but he heard baba say he liked her new bikini, so that must be what it was. Mama came and took one of his hands and baba took the other and they walked out into the water. Oh, this was fun! They walked along the edge of the water and he stamped and kicked the water and splashed everywhere. Then baba picked him up and mama and baba walked further out into the water, until it came up to their waists. Baba let him down into the water and told him to float. He spread out his arms and legs and floated on the warm water and smiled. This was fun!

After a while, baba picked him back up again and they walked out of the water. When they went to sit on the towels, mama opened up the little bag again and gave him some cheese and crackers. Then she gave a piece of fruit to baba. She had something to eat, too. They sat on the towels and ate while they dried off.

Grayson was getting tired now. Mama put his clothes back on and she and baba put theirs back on too. She picked up the towels and shook the sand out and folded them and put them back in the little bag. Then they walked back to the 'house'. Grayson got very tired and baba picked him up and carried him. Grayson leaned his head on baba's shoulder and thought about the things they had done today. He really liked the 'beach' and the 'lake. He smiled happily and went to sleep, all warm against baba.


	66. Chapter 66:Hiking

**Baby Book - Hiking**

Grayson watched as baba and mama put things in the little bag. Then baba got the carrier and put it on his back. Mama reached around and made some adjustments and baba shrugged and twisted and then said it was good. Mama picked him up and put him in the carrier and fastened the straps. They must be going somewhere. Mama picked up the little bag and put the strap over her shoulder. They walked out of the 'house' and followed the 'path'. "Where, mama? Where goin'?"

"We're going hiking, Grayson. Out in the woods."

"Woods?"

"Woods. All the trees. We're going to hike in the trees and look for little animals and see what we can see."

That sounded like fun. Grayson bounced a little bit in the carrier, but stopped when he felt baba tense up. Mustn't bounce in the carrier. Hard to remember. He looked over baba's shoulder and saw that they were now walking between the trees. These trees were BIG! He leaned his head backwards and looked up, way up. He couldn't see the tops of the trees, there were too many branches. Mama was laughing and had her hand on his back.

"Grayson, straighten up!" That was baba. He pulled his head back down. Mama patted him again and then pointed off to something. What was that? It was moving through the air!

"What, mama? What dat?"

"That's a bird, Grayson."

"Burd. More burd?"

"We'll just have to keep looking. Never know what we might see."

Grayson looked left, he looked right, he looked ahead. There was so much to see. Mama and baba both pointed things out to him, explained what they were. Baba's explanations always seemed to be a lot longer than mama's.

After mama and baba had walked a long way, they stopped when they found a big tree that had fallen down. Mama lifted him out of the carrier and stood him on the ground. Then she sat down on the fallen tree and opened the little bag she had. Baba set the carrier against the fallen tree and stretched his arms and shoulders. Then he sat down beside mama. Mama took some fruit out of the little bag and everybody got some. Grayson walked around while he ate his, looking at everything. Something was moving on the ground, he bent over to look at it.

"mama, baba, what dis?" Grayson pointed to the little things. Baba came over to look.

"Those are insects, Grayson. I am not sure exactly what they are."

"en-sec?"

Mama laughed. "Bugs, baby. Just bugs."

"Bugs? What bugs?" Grayson was confused. Baba knelt down beside him and talked about insects and what they did. It was interesting, but baba used a lot of words he didn't know. Some day he would know all those words.

Grayson walked around the small clearing, looking at leaves and tiny flowers and more bugs, different ones, and other funny things. He touched the bark of the trees and the moss growing on the fallen tree. He walked carefully around the fallen tree and on the back, behind mama, he found something very strange. Things growing out of the tree, looking almost like plates. "What dis? Baba, what dis?"

Baba looked over the top of the fallen tree to see what Grayson was pointing out. "A fungus, Grayson. Like a mushroom."

"You know mushrooms, baby. You've had mushroom soup."

"yes, mama. We make soup?"

Mama laughed. "No, baby, I don't know whether those would be safe to eat or not. We'll just leave them there for someone else to look at."

When they had finished the food mama had put in the little bag, baba picked up the carrier and put it on again and mama buckled him back in. They left the clearing in a different direction than they had entered it, circling back to the cabin through another part of the woods. When they were almost back, something happened that Grayson had not expected at all. Something ran across in front of them, something big! It was brown and fuzzy looking and it ran FAST! Grayson was so surprised that he yelled out loud. Baba reached back and patted his shoulder. "It's all right, Grayson. That was just an animal who lives in these woods. It was probably frightened of us."

Grayson wished another animal would run in front of them. That had been_ very_ interesting! Hiking in the woods was the best thing he had ever done. He could hardly wait to tell Jilly about it.

_______

Author's note: For those who have asked, no they're not on Earth. They're on whatever planet the Enterprise was passing close to that was Earth-like. They won't get back to Earth until the current 5-year mission ends.


	67. Chapter 67:Running

**Baby Book - Running**

Baba folded his legs up and sat down on the grass. Mama was standing behind him, bent over, saying something. Then she laughed and moved around and sat in baba's lap. Baba put his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. They just sat there, talking to each other and watching him run around. How could they sit still when it was so much fun to run in the grass? Grayson waved his arms and laughed. Off to the side of the grass where the tree was with the hole with the little faces. He looked up, but he couldn't see anything.

Run around the tree, back onto the grass, across to the other side of the path, where the nest of little bugs was. Squat down, look at the bugs, scurrying around. He tilted his head to one side, watching. There were two colors of bugs here now and they were doing something. Were they playing? Ooops. A big black bug just _ate_ a red bug! "Baba, mama, no, no, bugs eating bugs! Stop, stop!"

Laughter from mama, rumbling from baba, chiding her softly. "No, baby, we can't make them stop. Sorry."

"But, mama, eating!"

"That's what bugs do, baby."

He watched the bugs _fighting_. He didn't like fighting. He didn't want the bugs to eat the other bugs. His bottom lip poked out, trembling. He turned his face towards his parents, one tear trembling on his cheek. "No, mama. Not eat."

"Oh, baby, come here." Mama held out her arms and Grayson went running to get a hug. Baba reached one hand around and patted his back, too. Grayson sighed.

"Why, mama?"

"Well, Grayson, even bugs need to eat. And sometimes they just eat each other. Sorry, baby, that's just the way life is."

He sat there for a minute, mama and baba holding him, and heaved a big sigh. Bad bugs! But what was that over there? He leaned forward and looked hard, then tumbled out of mama's arms and went running. Pretty flowers! He pulled some up and went running back to mama, holding them out.

"Oh, thank you, baby. So pretty." Mama held the flowers to her nose and smelled them, smiling.

Grayson went running and pulled up some more, bringing them to her, dirt and all. She laughed at baba, brushing the dirt off, his brows drawing together. "Hush, Spock, look how happy he is. A little bit of dirt won't hurt you."

Grayson ran around in the grass, waving his arms and laughing. This was so much fun! There was a bush he hadn't looked at before. He stopped, stood before it, looked closely. There were more bugs! Tiny, tiny little bugs, crawling up the stems, down the leaves. He squatted again, so that he could look closer. Many tiny bugs. He watched them until his knees were unhappy, then he straightened up. Oh, look! A pretty bird flying. Mama saw it, too. He ran after the bird, but it was much faster than he was. So he just ran all around mama and baba again. Ran and ran and ran until he got tired and came and curled up in mama's lap and went to sleep with mama's fingers running through his hair.


	68. Chapter 68:Going Home

**Baby Book - Going Home**

Grayson sat in the chair that was just for him, eating his breakfast. Mama and baba were eating their breakfast, too, sitting at the table and talking. Did mama say something about the ship? Ship meant Enterprise. What was she saying?

"I guess I need to start packing and picking up. It's been a nice rest, but I do miss home."

Baba looked at her with that look he only gave to her and to himself. No one else ever got that look. Grayson had watched. "Wherever you are is my home."

Mama smiled, so big and wide. Happy smile. Grayson smiled, too. He liked to see mama so happy. He ate some more fruit.

Baba tilted his head and looked at mama. "We could stay another week. If you wanted. We could always catch that transport and meet the Enterprise at StarBase 5."

"No, no, they'll be expecting us back. You know Jim would have a fit." She giggled. "Besides, there will be other chances in a few months. It's probably better to give him small doses of planet life, anyway. Give him a chance to assimilate all these new things."

Baba nodded. "Then we should pack, as you suggested. There is still the walk back to town. What do you wish me to do?"

"Why don't you check out the bedroom and just bring everything in here? If we clean out one room at a time, then we can be sure we didn't leave anything behind."

"An excellent plan." baba stood up and carried his dishes to the sink, dropping a kiss on top of mama's head on the way. When he waved his arms, baba came and kissed him, too. Grayson laughed.

He sat and watched as mama finished clearing the table and then laid the big duffle on it, all the pockets open. She put the things that baba brought her inside, rolling up the clothing they had worn and packing it tightly into the big pocket. The things baba brought from the bathroom went in the small pocket. His toys went into another small pocket. Baba said the bedroom and bathroom were clean and started walking around the living room, looking under and behind furniture, bringing mama toys that Grayson had dropped. He also brought her the PADDs he had been reading. Soon all the pockets were full and baba sealed the duffle up and set it by the door, with the carrier sitting on top. Then baba and mama cleaned everything, very quickly. Grayson sat in his chair and watched. He would help, but mama and baba just said to sit still, so he did.

After mama washed the dishes and wiped off the counter and table, baba lifted him out of the chair and took him to the sink to wash his hands and face. Mama wiped off the little chair. Then they looked around once more. Mama said 'Goodbye little house' and looked like she might cry. But then she straightened up and smiled. She picked up the carrier and helped baba put it on, then she set Grayson in it. Baba picked up the duffle and they walked outside. Mama closed the door on the little house and they walked off down the path.

They walked and walked, through the woods, down the path, until they came to the other place. The one with all the houses. Grayson remembered that they had come through here. He hadn't had the words then to describe what he was seeing. They walked right into the biggest house. He remembered these blue walls! They were going to the transporting place. He bounced in the carrier. "Grayson!" Oops, sorry, baba.

They went down the blue corridor and came into the transporting place. There were the big bright circles on the floor. Baba talked to the man there, then Grayson heard scoddy's voice. He looked all around, where was scoddy? He couldn't see him anywhere. Mama stepped up on the platform, stood on one of the bright circles. Baba set the duffle on another one, and then stood on the one beside mama, reaching up to take Grayson's hands and hold them gently. Grayson remembered this part. The man on the other side of the room said 'Energize' and everything turned swirly again. This was a very odd feeling. And then there was scoddy! They were back on the ship! Grayson laughed aloud. Home! Friends! He could hardly wait to go see his friends at the day care center and tell them all about bacation.


	69. Chapter 69:What I Did on my Bacation

**Baby Book - What I Did on my Bacation**

Grayson was so eager to tell his friends about 'bacation' that he could hardly wait for baba to set him down on the floor when they got to the day care center. He went running off across the room as soon as his feet touched down. He didn't see baba's lips quirk up at the corners as he watched.

Grayson and his friends were so glad to see each other again that they all laughed and hugged each other. Then Grayson started telling them what he had done. All about the swirly stuff in the transporter room and suddenly being in a different room. Joey and Sam didn't believe him, but Stevie and Shron nodded their heads and said yes, that was the way it was. Then Grayson told them about 'sky' - so way high up and blue, blue - and the sun, so bright it hurt your eyes and you had to wear 'sunglasses'. Everybody laughed at Grayson then - the ceiling couldn't be _that_ high!

Then Grayson talked about grass and big, big trees, and little faces in a hole in a tree and bugs and bugs _eating_ bugs, and birds, and animals running around loose. Then he talked about a big, big sandbox called a 'beach' and about a pool so big it was called a 'lake'. Nobody else knew any of those words. Sam and Pete thought Grayson was making stuff up. Joey wasn't sure. Shron went to Miss Betty and tugged on her, asking her to come and help.

Miss Betty made everybody sit down on the floor and then she opened up the big screen on the wall and showed everybody lots of pictures. She let Grayson point to things and tell what they were. Everybody got real excited then. Miss Betty went to the bookcase in her office and came back with some new books. Everyone sat on the floor and looked at the pictures in the books and talked and talked.

***

When parents came to pick up the children, everyone asked when _they_ were going on 'bacation'. Everyone wanted to see 'sky' and 'grass' and 'bugs'.


	70. Chapter 70:Jilly's Crawling!

**Baby Book - Jilly's Crawling!**

Grayson was ready to go, but mama and baba were still talking about something. He patted baba on the knee, but baba just reached down and took his little fingers in his warm hand and kept talking to mama. Finally mama reached down and picked him up, gave baba a kiss and headed out the door with him. She settled him down on her left hip and talked down the hall, calling greetings to people they passed. When they got to the day care center, she gave him a kiss and set him down on the floor.

He quickly ran across the room to his friends. Something was happening because everybody was in the same place. He pushed in between Sam and Stevie to see what everyone was looking at. There on the floor was Jilly, on her hands and knees, head held up, grinning. He squatted down to say hello and Jilly crawled right across the floor - all the way up to where he was!

He laughed out loud. Jilly was crawling! When Grayson laughed, Jilly laughed, too. Then she sat down, kerplunk! Grayson sat down beside her. Oh, how nice, Jilly could crawl now! Grayson gave her a big hug.

All morning long, Grayson played with Jilly. He even crawled along beside her, smiling at her. After nap time, Miss Betty set her in the sandbox and Grayson showed her how to pile up the sand and pat it into shapes. Jilly picked up a handful of sand and started to eat it. Grayson caught her hand. "No, no, Jilly, not eat sand!" Miss Betty came and picked her up and brushed all the sand off. She walked away with Jilly looking back over her shoulder at Grayson. He sighed. Jilly was still little - but she was growing!

He turned back to the sandbox, just as Shron and Joey splatted their hands down on the big pile of sand they had made. Sand went everywhere! Grayson had sand in his clothes and on his face. Miss Lou came running to get everybody out of the sandbox and cleaned up.

***

When mama came to get him, he pulled her over to where Jilly sat on the floor. "Mama, mama, Jilly crawl! Come look!"

Mama knelt down beside Jilly and said hello and Jilly smiled at her, laughing and clapping her hands, but she wouldn't crawl for mama. Mama said that was okay, she would see her crawl some other day. "Come on, Grayson, baba and Uncle Jim are waiting on us in the mess hall."

"Unca Jeem! Go, mama, go!"


	71. Chapter 71:Unca Jeem the Babysitter 1

**Baby Book - Unca Jeem the Babysitter**

**Spring, 2270**

Grayson watched as mama and baba gave Unca Jeem lots of instructions. Unca Jeem kept saying things like "okay, right, yeah, got it" but Grayson didn't think Unca Jeem was really paying attention to what mama and baba were saying. Finally Unca Jeem started waving his hands at them. "You guys are going to be late if you don't leave already. We're going to be just fine. Now run off and go enjoy your symposium thing. If Pavel can take care of him, certainly I can. Just run along now." And he shooed them out the door.

Grayson sat on the floor and watched Unca Jeem. What was he doing? Looking at the music discs? What was that he said? Nothing interesting to watch? No hot babes? Unca Jeem wanted to watch holos of little babies that were too warm? Why? Grayson was confused.

Uh, oh. Stinky bottom. "Unca Jeem! Stinky bottom."

Jim looked at Grayson in alarm. "What? What's that? You can't be serious. Aren't you potty trained yet, kid?" he came over to Grayson and took a deep sniff, then turned bright red. "Gah!' He picked Grayson up gingerly and headed for the bathroom.

***

"I can't believe what a god-awful mess that was. You have got to stop doing that, kid. Your Uncle Jim can only stand so much. Next time you're going down to sick bay to let _them_ clean you up." He set Grayson back on the floor and resumed his search around the room for something interesting and possibly incriminating. He found nothing. "Wonder where they hide the stuff. There must be some smut here somewhere." He eventually gave up and plopped down on the couch.

Grayson pushed up off the floor and walked over to pat Unca Jeem's knees. "go walk, Unca Jeem. Take Grayson walk."

"Now that's a fine idea. Okay, let's go walk." Jim looked down at Grayson. "Hey, I'll bet you're quite a babe magnet, little guy. Come on." He stood up and grabbed Grayson, settled him down on his left hip. "Off we go."

Grayson wondered what a 'babe magnet' was. He had never heard of that kind of magnet. He would have to remember to ask baba about it.

***

Jim strode off down the corridor, looking for pretty young women. They hadn't gone very far when Grayson started jabbering in some strange language and waving his arms. Jim looked to see what he was excited about. There was the new Andorian Lieutenant coming this way. He stopped, paying no attention whatsoever to the captain, and began talking to Grayson. Jim couldn't understand a single word. Eventually the Lieutenant straightened up and turned to face him.

"Sorry, captain, sir, but the little one had things to say to me and one mustn't discourage the little ones from speaking up. Very important sir."

"You could understand that?"

"Certainly. Grayson has a very good grasp of basic Andorian. One of his friends in the day care center is Andorian. I believe his mother is a linguist, yes?"

"Yes, yes, she is. So I guess she must have taught him." Jim looked at Grayson and shook his head. "Well, I thank you for encouraging him, but I imagine you must have something you're supposed to be doing now?"

"Uh, yes, sir, just on my way sir." The Andorian moved on down the hall.

Jim continued in the direction he had started out in. They hadn't gone more than three or four meters when a pretty young Junior Lieutenant came around the corner. Grayson went crazy, wiggling and squirming and chattering away. He thought that sounded like Chekov - must be Russian. The young woman squealed and grabbed Grayson away from him, hugging the little boy and chattering away like crazy herself. Jim stood there gaping. Grayson obviously knew the young woman quite well. After several minutes, she turned to him.

"Sorry, captain, sir, I just got carried away. I haven't seen Grayson in over a week and he had to tell me everything that's happened since then. He misses Pavel and wants me to tell him all the news."

Jim recalled that Chekov was away on a training assignment and wouldn't be back for almost another week. But who was this? He racked his brain. "Sasha?"

She smiled, dimples appearing in her cheeks. "Yes, sir, I'm Sasha. Lieutenant Junior Grade Leopoldsky, Alexandria, actually, but my friends all call me Sasha."

"And how much longer is it going to be Leopoldsky, Lieutenant Junior Grade? Isn't there a name change coming up soon?" He smiled widely at her now.

She blushed and ducked her head. "Twenty-six days, sir. And counting." She had a big grin on her face.

"Well, I know the two of you are going to be very happy and I hope I get more work out of him once the whole thing is over with." Jim grinned back at her and took Grayson back, settling him down on his hip again. "Now I imagine that you're needed somewhere?"

"oh, yes, sir, I'm on my way now." And she took off down the corridor.

Two hours and eight encounters later, Jim was ready to give up. It seemed that Grayson knew all the pretty young ladies on the ship, even better than he did. And they all knew him, as well. Grayson got hugged and patted and kissed on the cheek. His hair got ruffled, and his bottom squeezed. Jim got nothing except "yes, sir, right away, sir." This walk had certainly turned into a dud. He turned at the next intersection and started heading back towards the senior crew quarters. He'd have to think up another way to get a little tlc.


	72. Chapter 72:Unca Jeem the Babysitter 2

Author's note: Grayson, aged about 20 months here, can carry on a simple conversation in Standard, Kiswahili, Vulcan, Russian, and Andorian.

_______________

**Baby Book - Unca Jeem the Babysitter - part two**

**Spring, 2270**

He let himself back into Spock and Nyota's quarters and set Grayson down on the floor. While the little boy ran around the room, he used the com link to check in with the bridge. Everything was going smoothly, even without either the Captain or First Officer on the bridge. He did have a well-oiled crew. Next he checked with Bones, just to be sure that the rest of the ship was okay, as well. He was checking through some mail when he felt small hands patting his knee. He looked down into Grayson's big brown eyes.

"Unca Jeem, on'gee. Lunch time."

"I do believe you're right, Grayson. Lunch it is. Let me shut this down, there we go. Okay, come on, big boy, let's go eat."

When they got to the mess hall, he had a bright idea. He looked at Grayson and grinned. "I know something I'll bet you've never had. Ready for a treat?"

Grayson nodded happily. He liked treats. His eyes got big when he saw the food that came from the synthesizer. Unca Jeem carried the tray to a table and sat him down, then unloaded the tray. Then he explained what the food was - this was a cheeseburger and those were french fries and the stuff in the glass was a chocolate milk shake. Grayson had never had any of those foods before. He began with the french fries.

***

Grayson's little tummy was stuffed. He felt kind of strange. He wasn't sure why. Things were kind of fuzzy around the edges. Unca Jeem carried him back home, but instead of putting him down for his nap, he wanted to wrestle. Grayson laughed and giggled at him, but when Unca Jeem picked him up and tossed him in the air, his tummy did something very strange. His eyes got very big and then all that good lunch came right back up - all over Unca Jeem!

Jim yelled in surprise. "Oh, GOD! Grayson! What's wrong, buddy? Computer, contact Dr McCoy in sick bay at once! McCoy get up here, Grayson's barfing all over the place. Computer, contact Housekeeping! I need a cleaning crew right now!"

***

Bones reamed Jim up one side and down the other - especially over the chocolate milk shake. He gave Grayson a shot of something to calm him down and cuddled the sobbing boy until he fell asleep, then laid him in his bed. "Give him a nice hot bath when he wakes up - and something bland to eat - like a cheese sandwich. And DON'T roughhouse with a kid right after eating! Geez, don't you know anything?" He stomped out, furious.

The cleaning crew got all the mess up quickly and left, sniggering among themselves.

Jim ran his hand through his hair, muttering. Who knew taking care of a little kid was this hard?


	73. Chapter 73:Unca Jeem the Babysitter 3

**Baby Book - Unca Jeem the Babysitter - part three**

**Spring, 2270**

When Grayson woke up from his nap, Jim was very careful with him. He fed him a plain cheese sandwich on white bread, and watched him like a hawk to be sure it stayed down. Then he sat on the couch and read stories from Grayson's books until suppertime. Grayson love to be read to, so that wasn't a problem.

Then Jim sat Grayson on his hip and walked to the mess hall. They met McCoy on the way in, and Jim let_ him_ decide what Grayson should have for supper. Grayson was glad to get the soy dog and applesauce. His tummy still didn't feel entirely normal, but his vision wasn't fuzzy anymore.

Unca Jeem and mah-coy sat and talked for a long time after Grayson was finished eating. Finally he started fidgeting. "What's the matter, Grayson? Do you want to get down and run around some?"

"Wet, Unca Jeem. All wet." Grayson's lower lip stuck out.

"Oh, I'll bet that doesn't feel so good, does it? Okay, we'll go back home and get you all dry. See you later, Bones." Jim stood up and headed back to Spock and Nyota's quarters. Changing a wet diaper was a whole lot easier than changing a messy one.

Once he was dry, Grayson was ready to do something. He got some of his toys and tried to get Unca Jeem to play with him. Unca Jeem turned out to be pretty good at building things with blocks. Then he showed Grayson a game where you stacked the blocks up and then tried to pull out the bottom one without making them all tumble down. Grayson really liked that game. Pretty soon he was as good as Unca Jeem at it. He would have to show this game to baba.

When Grayson started to rub his eyes, Unca Jeem changed him into his jammies and sat down to read him another story. Grayson almost fell asleep. Unca Jeem took him into the bedroom and tucked him into bed, pulling the covers up. "Sleep tight, kid. When you wake up in the morning, your mama and baba will be back home, okay?"

Grayson nodded and closed his eyes. It was exhausting to have Unca Jeem take care of him. He was asleep in just a few minutes.

Jim sat back down on the couch. He leaned back and closed his eyes, just to rest a minute. When Spock and Nyota came in an hour later, he was sound asleep. They looked at him in astonishment. Nyota began to giggle.

Spock looked at her and raised one slanted eyebrow. "Apparently taking care of our son for a whole day is exhausting."

Nyota laughed so loud she woke Jim up.


	74. Chapter 74:What Did That Mean?

**Baby Book - What did that mean?**

**Spring, 2270**

Grayson patted baba's knee. "baba, talk Grayson, p'ease."

Spock set down the technical journal he had been reading and picked his son up, setting him down on his knee. "What would you like to talk about, Grayson?"

"Why Unca Jeem want watch poor little babies be too warm?"

Spock sat looking at his son, trying to figure out what he meant. "Is that what he said, Grayson? Exactly?"

Grayson's eyes unfocused slightly as he tried to remember. "No, baba, not exactly. He say 'hot babes'."

Mama sputtered and then giggled out loud. "Oh, Spock, what on earth was he doing?"

Grayson looked at her. "He look for holos. Can't find hot babes."

"Spock! He was looking for porn!"

"Surely not. Why would he think that we had such holos?"

"Well, HE does! I'm sure he thinks everyone does."

Spock considered very carefully what to say to his puzzled son. "He was looking for pictures of young women being...friendly to men. We do not have any of this type of entertainment, therefore he could not find it."

Grayson was still puzzled, but accepted what baba said.

"Is there something else, little one?"

"Yes, baba. Unca Jeem talked about a magnet I not know. You don' tell me about it."

Now Spock was very puzzled himself. Why would Jim have been talking about magnets? "What kind of magnet?"

"Babe magnet." Grayson looked at his father in expectation, waiting to hear the properties of this new type of magnet.

Mama was laughing very hard now. Grayson turned to look at her. Why was she laughing? He turned back to baba, who had a very strange look on his face.

"When did he say that, Grayson?"

"When we go walk around ship. He said I was one."

Now baba's lip quirked up. He looked at mama. "Hush, Nyota. This is difficult enough without your merriment."

"I can't help it, Spock, this is just too funny." She turned to Grayson. "Didn't work, did it, baby?"

Grayson puckered up his face. "We walk. I talk to Shron's papa's new friend."

Baba nodded, "The new Andorian lieutenant. You remember me mentioning him, Nyota."

"Oh, yes. Did you speak to him in Andorian, Grayson?"

"yes, mama. He was nice. They we saw Sasha." Grayson grinned and wiggled. "We talk Russian. Unca Jeem not understand. Sasha pretty."

"Yes, Sasha's very pretty. And I'll bet she didn't pay any attention to Jim at all." Mama was grinning again. "Did you talk to other people, baby?"

"Lots of people, mama. But unca jeem say nobody give him ...teellcee. What dat, mama?"

"TLC stands for tender loving care, baby, and that's what mama and baba give you every day." She reached over and kissed his cheek and then settled down on the couch beside baba. "Poor Jim, everybody must have paid attention to Grayson and just ignored him." she giggled again and snuggled up to Spock.

"It seems our captain was more concerned with his own needs than Grayson's. I need not remind you that I did not consider him the best alternative to Pavel."

"I know, I know. But we're really going to have to work up some new alternates, because that young man is going to be very occupied in just a few weeks." mama grinned up at baba again and baba quirked up his lips at her.

"Indeed he is. That has been one very determined young lady."

Mama looked back at Grayson. "What did Unca Jeem give you for lunch, baby?"

Grayson looked very unhappy now. "Cheeseburger, fries and milk shake."

"What? Oh, Grayson, no, baby, surely not."

"Yes, mama. Made my tummy feel funny."

"Well, I should think so!"

"Mah-coy mad at him. Say never give chocka...choco... Big word, mama. Mah-coy say not give me."

"He gave you a CHOCOLATE milk shake! I'm going to kill that man! Spock!"

"Yes, I did hear. I shall have a conversation with him tomorrow - one that he will NOT forget soon!"

"Poor baby. Did it make your tummy hurt bad?"

"No mama, make Unca Jeem hurt bad."

Both parents looked at him in confusion. "How did it make Uncle Jim's tummy hurt?"

"Make him hurt all over cause I frow up on him."

Now baba laughed out loud right along with mama. Tears were running down mama's cheeks and she clutched her tummy and laughed so hard. Grayson wasn't sure why this was so funny. It certainly hadn't felt funny at the time.

"Mah-coy mad at him. Say I have cheese sandwich, not cheeseburger."

"That's right, baby, cheeseburger is not right for you. Oh, Spock, I wish I could have seen Jim all covered up with half-digested cheeseburger." She was still laughing. Baba wasn't laughing any more, but he was still smiling.

"I do believe that he received sufficient punishment. And McCoy apparently scolded him as well." he shook his head. "You had a hard day, little one. Are you better now?"

"Yes, baba. Unca Jeem play with blocks, show me new game. You play new game with me?"

"Certainly I will. After supper, all right?"

"Yes, baba, all right."

"No wonder he was asleep when we got home!" mama was still laughing. Grayson was glad she wasn't mad.


	75. Chapter 75:We Trusted You

**Baby Book - We Trusted You**

**Spring, 2270**

Grayson sat on baba's hip, holding on tight. Mama was _really_ mad! And baba was being strange, too. Unca Jeem was all red in the face. He looked from one of the adults to the next, trying to figure out what was going on.

"We trusted you! And you....you PIG! You didn't listen to a thing we told you!"

"Wait, wait! I tried, I really did. I'm just not used to taking care of little kids all day." He looked into the angry eyes of his Chief Communications Officer and blanched. He didn't remember ever seeing her _this_ angry.

"Searching our quarters for porn? Telling our son he is a babe magnet? Feeding him a CHEESEBURGER? And CHOCOLATE?" Her voice was very loud now.

"Okay, so I got a little carried away. I mean, all kids like that stuff, right?" He flinched away from her glare. "I just forgot that his digestion is different. I won't forget again, believe me!" There wasn't much like getting thrown up all over to reinforce that!

Now his First Officer turned a blazing glare on him. Normally Spock didn't show a lot of emotion, but, if looks could kill, this one certainly would. Jim began to sweat. This didn't look very good at all.

"Since you obviously have not listened to us, nor to McCoy, it is time for further action."

Action? Surely he wouldn't attack him here in the mess hall? And with Grayson on his hip? Jim's eyes swiveled around the room, looking for backup, but all he saw were laughing faces.

Uhura slapped a PADD down on the table in front of him. "You've been enrolled in remedial training. It's been submitted with your own override code, so don't think you can get out of it. And it's already in your official calender, so EVERYONE will know about it!"

Spock didn't say anything more, but his eyes were still fastened on Jim. Jim picked up the PADD and looked at it . There, at 0800 on Saturday morning, was blazoned across his calendar - "Beginning Babysitting Training". "Wait, that's for teenagers! You can't actually expect me to go to that!"

Two implacable stares met his distress. Oh, yes, they definitely expected him to go.

Spock tilted his head and reduced the amount of glare just slightly. "Since Grayson is fond of you, it would not be fair to forbid you to be around him. So you _must _learn. There are no alternatives. None."

That certainly sounded final. "Wait, how did you get my override code? And get this into my calendar?"

They just looked at him. Two of the very brightest people on the ship, two of his senior staff, one a computer genius, the other the best interpreter in StarFleet, of course they could get anything they wanted out of him. He looked up bleakly. This course went on for EIGHT weeks! Eight Saturday mornings!

Grayson reached out his hand and patted unca jeem's cheek. "unca jeem play with me? Take classes and come play?"

"Sure, kid. I guess you said it. I'll take the classes so I can come play with you." Jim looked pretty bleak. "With a bunch of teenagers, for eight Saturday mornings." He hung his head. "Guess I was dumb enough to deserve that."

"Yes, dumb pretty well describes it." But she didn't sound quite as mad now. And she sat down across from him, taking Grayson from Spock. Spock headed for the serving line. They were actually going to sit here and eat with him? Maybe he would survive this, then. And Grayson was babbling about blocks. He grinned at him. That was the cutest kid! Well worth taking babysitting classes for.


	76. Chapter 76:Pig Boy

Author's Note : Uncle Jim's adventures in Babysitting class will be a separate story, coming soon.

__________

**Baby Book - Pig Boy**

**Spring, 2270**

Grayson was sitting in the sandbox with Joey and Sam when the new boy came in with this parents. This was the strangest looking little boy he had ever seen. Joey and Sam both stared, too. Miss Betty talked to the new boy's mama and baba and then she squatted down and talked to him, too. They waited for her to bring him over to the sandbox.

Miss Betty took the new boy by the hand and led him around the room, showing him all the different things. Last of all, she brought him to the sandbox and introduced him to the three boys playing there. "Grrel, here are three boys playing in the sandbox. This is Grayson, and Joey and Sam. Would you like to play here, too?"

Gerrev grunted and clambered into the sandbox. He sat in the corner furthest from the other boys. All the little boys looked at each other, not sure what to do next. Grrel was _different_. He had shaggy hair and his hands and feet were very funny. And he was lots smaller than the other boys.

Just then Shron came running over and climbed into the sandbox next to Grayson. He patted Grayson's arm "Who?" he said to Grayson.

Grayson pointed to to Shron. " Grrel, this Shron. Shron, that Grrel."

Shron looked at Grrel. "Funny looking."

Grrel stood up and made loud noises. Shron hid behind Grayson. Grayson looked from one boy to the next. "Not nice make fun, Shron. Be nice."

Pete wandered over from where he had been playing with blocks. "You look like pig! Oink, oink!" He laughed and laughed. Grayson thought Pete might be right, but it wasn't a very nice thing to say. Grrel looked at Pete and then picked up a bunch of sand and threw it all over him. Pete yelled. He was rubbing his eyes. Miss Betty came running to see what the problem was. Pete was blubbering and rubbing his eyes and pointing at Grrel.

Miss Betty looked at Grayson. "Grayson, tell me what happened."

Grayson didn't want to tell, but when Miss Betty asked him questions, he was supposed to answer. "Pete say Grrel look like pig and make pig noises. Grrel get mad and throw sand on him."

Miss Betty sighed. " Grrel, we don't throw sand. If you throw sand, you won't be allowed to play in the sandbox. Pete, we don't call other children names. You know better than that. Come along and I'll wash your face, but then you must come and apologize to Grrel." She took Pete away to wash the sand off his face.

Grrel stood in his corner of the sandbox, looking mad. Grayson thought and thought. Grrel, sit down and play with us. We won't call you names. Will we Shron?"

Shron peeked out from behind Grayson. "No names, Grrel. Shron sorry Pete call you pig. Shron sorry to say you funny looking. Maybe you like Shron and Grayson funny looking, too."

Grrel looked at them and sat down, patting the sand. Then he made a funny noise and rolled all over in the sand, getting it in his clothes and hair and everywhere! Grayson and Joey and Sam and Shron all looked at him with their mouths hanging open. Then they looked at each other. When Miss Betty came back with Pete to apologize, all four little boys were rolling in the sand and laughing.

***

"Mama, mama, come meet Grrel! New boy to play with, mama!" Grayson tugged on mama's hand to bring her over to the sandbox.

"I see, Grayson. But why do you have sand in your clothes? What have you been doing?"

"Play Grrel, mama. Make him feel happy to roll in sand, so we all roll in sand." Grayson smiled happily at mama, not understanding why she was trying not to laugh.


	77. Chapter 77:Secrets

**Baby Book - Secrets**

**Late Spring, 2270**

Grayson ran eagerly into the day care center, leaving baba standing in the corridor shaking his head. Joey was here already and he hadn't seen him in several days. He ran right over and gave him a big hug. Joey was all excited about something, his eyes were all shiny. He whispered in Grayson's ear "I have secret."

Grayson looked at him. A secret? What was it? This was exciting. He tilted his head down close to Joey's, waiting.

Joey put his mouth almost right on Grayson's ear. "I'm going to get a baby brother!"

Grayson jumped. He looked at Joey, mouth agape. Then he bent down close again. "Where are you going to get him?"

"My mommy's going to get him. I have to wait for her to do it. But mommy and daddy told me about it last night."

Grayson thought about that. Where was Joey's mommy going to get the baby brother? Maybe mama and baba could get him a baby sister in the same place.

"Where is she getting him? Do you know? Or when?"

"No. I don't know. Mommy and daddy know. I just have to wait."

This was a very good secret. Grayson was all excited with Joey. Babies were so nice. Then he remembered that Joey had been gone for several days. "Where you been, Joey? Not in day care for days."

"Mommy was sick. Now she's better. She's back to work, so I'm in day care again."

The two boys settled down with the blocks. Grayson showed Joey the new game that Unca Jeem had taught them. Joey laughed and laughed as the blocks fell over.

After a while, Miss Betty got Jilly out of her little bed and sat her down on the floor beside them. She was too little to play the block game, but she watched them play it and laughed with them. Grayson patted Jilly's face and smiled at her. She needed another little girl to play with. There was only Suzy, everyone else in the day care center was a boy. He really needed to remember to ask mama and baba if they couldn't to where ever Joey's mommy and daddy were going and get a baby sister for him, so that Jilly would have someone to play with. Maybe tonight.


	78. Chapter 78:Boys' Night In

**Baby Book - Boys' Night In**

**Early Summer, 2270**

Grayson sat and watched as baba moved around the room, doing things. Mama had left to go to the party for Sasha. She had taken a big box with a white bow on top of it. It was a gift for Sasha. She had let baba see what it was, but not him. She just laughed and told him he would not understand. Baba had acted very strange after mama showed the gift to him. He had nibbled on mama's neck. Mama had asked him whether she should have bought one for herself. He had not been able to understand what baba said. Something about Pabel blushing. He did not understand at all.

Baba was moving furniture, making a big space in the middle of the room. He got the folding table and set it up, then put chairs all around the edge. Six chairs. Grayson counted carefully, using his fingers. Then baba got the big cooler that he had brought back from the mess hall and set it near the table. There were bottles in it. Probably good things to drink. Maybe baba would let him taste.

Now baba put some bowls on the table and started punching commands into the food machine. He took things out and poured them into the bowls. Grayson craned his neck trying to see. There were chips! Grayson liked chips. And those were cookies! Little tiny cookies. Oh yummy! Did mama know baba was making all this good food? What else was there? Grayson couldn't see what was in all the bowls. He got up and went over to baba and tugged on his pants leg. "baba, baba, Grayson need cookie! Need chips!"

"No, Grayson, you have already had your evening meal. You do not need any additional nutrition. This food is for the poker game."

"Poker, baba? What is poker?"

"Poker is a card game. And I have not made the cards." baba went over to the food machine and pushed some more buttons. He opened the door and took out two small boxes, wrapped in something shiny, and laid them on the table. "Grayson, you must behave. Baba's friends are coming here to play poker because mama is at Sasha's party and baba must stay home and take care of you, so you must be good." Baba looked down at him. Grayson nodded his head. He knew how to be good.

The door chime sounded. Grayson looked to see who would come in. Baba called 'Come' and the door swooshed open. "Mah-coy!" McCoy came in and set something on the table and then knelt down beside Grayson and talked to him. Grayson laughed. He liked mah-coy.

The door chime sounded again. Baba called 'come' and the door opened again. There stood Pabel and Zulu. Oh, this was nice! All his favorite people were coming. The next time, it was Unca Jeem and scoddy! Grayson counted all the people - six men, just as many as chairs. What were they going to do now?

Grayson watched all the men sit down in the chairs. Scoddy reached down in the cooler and started passing bottles around to everyone. Then he asked where the sandwiches were. Everyone else laughed. Baba told him if he wanted a sandwich to go dial one up. Then they laughed more. Baba raised his eyebrow and twitched his lips. Grayson saw him. That meant that baba was happy. This was fun.

Grayson went over to baba and patted his knee. "Up, baba, up." baba lifted him up and sat him on his knee, so that he could see everyone around the table. Grayson held on to baba's shirt and sat very still, so that he could watch what was going on.

Unca Jeem took one of the small boxes and removed the shiny covering. He opened the box and took something out. Then he did funny things with his hands, bending whatever it was that he had taken out of the box and making it come all to pieces, mixing the pieces all up. It was very interesting. Then Unca Jeem started flipping the little pieces all over the table. He was good at it, too, because none of them fell on the floor.

Baba picked up all the little pieces that were in front of him and held them in his hands. Grayson wanted to know what those little things were. He spoke very quietly. "What, baba, what things?"

"They are cards, Grayson. Cards to play poker with."

"Thanks, baba." Then Grayson was quiet again, not wanting baba to put him down. It was very interesting to watch what the men were doing.

All the men looked at their cards, and then they started putting things in the middle of the table. Grayson watched as they went around the table and everybody put something in the middle. He watched baba. Baba put something strange in the middle of the table - it looked like a little piece of shiny metal. What was that? Scoddy put a little tiny bottle in the middle of the table. Mah-coy put a lollypop out - Grayson knew what that was!

Now some of the men threw down some of their cards and unca jeem gave them new ones. Now they went around the table again and put more things in the middle. Grayson couldn't figure out how they knew what to do, but it was interesting. Then Pabel reached out and pulled everything out of the middle of the table so that it was all in front of him. He was smiling very big. Everyone else grumbled. Then mah-coy took the cards and did funny things with them before throwing them at the others. Then they started all over again, putting things in the middle of the table. It was all very strange and very interesting. Grayson wished they would let him play, too. He would like some of those things that were in the middle of the table.

About the time Grayson was getting tired of watching, they put the cards down and started eating the food that baba had put in the bowls, and some other food, too. Scoddy had a whole plate of little sandwiches and unca jeem and mah-coy had some other stuff. Grayson looked at scoddy and scoddy handed him a sandwich when baba wasn't looking. Grayson had it almost finished before baba noticed.

All the men were talking and drinking and eating. Maybe now Grayson could ask baba that question that he had been trying to ask ever since he got home from day care. Grayson reached up and patted baba. "baba, ask question?"

Baba looked down at him. "Yes, Grayson, you may ask a question."

"Baba, where babies come from?" Grayson looked around in astonishment. Everybody was laughing very hard. Unca jeem was pounding his fist on the table. Pabel was bright red. Baba looked green.

Baba looked across the table. "McCoy, you are the doctor here. Perhaps you could answer this question."

"Not on your life. That's your son, your question. Go right ahead. I'm eager to hear your answer."

Unca jeem was laughing so hard that water was coming out of his eyes. Grayson couldn't figure out what was so funny.

Baba looked at him. "Why are you asking this question, Grayson?"

"Joey tell me his mommy and daddy are getting him a baby brother. Maybe you and mama could go with them and get me a baby sister."

Baba's face looked really strange. Unca jeem was laughing so hard that mah-coy was pounding on his back. Zulu was snickering behind his hands. Pabel was still bright red, but his mouth looked all funny, like he was trying to hold something wiggly inside. Scoddy was holding onto his sides and howling with laughter.

"Grayson, you do not go shopping for babies." Baba stopped, then started again, tilting his head in the way that meant he was thinking. "mama and I can not go with Joey's parents to get a baby sister for you."

"If you don't go shopping for them, where do you get them?"

Baba's mouth was a straight line now. His eyebrows almost met in the center. "Perhaps you should wait and ask your mama this question."

The other men howled at baba. "No, no, Spock, you can't get out of it that way!"

"Come on, man, answer the question!"

"I vill try, if you like, Meester Spock."

"Please do."

Pabel turned to look at Grayson. "Grayson, vhen a mommy and daddy vant to have a new baby, dey ...dey love each odder in a special vay. Dis makes a new baby. Okay?"

This made absolutely no sense to Grayson at all. He looked at Pabel, then up at baba. "baba loves mama?"

"Yes, Grayson. That is correct."

"Then you make new baby, okay?" unca jeem fell out of his chair and lay on the floor, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. Zulu had turned his chair away from the table and his shoulders were shaking.

"I think it is your bedtime, Grayson." Baba got up from the table and carried Grayson into his bedroom and tucked him into his bed. "Goodnight, Grayson." baba turned to leave the room.

"Baba, baba!"

"Yes, Grayson." baba sounded really tired.

"You and mama make me a baby sister? Please baba?"

"I will talk to your mother about it. Now please go to sleep while I try to get my friends to forget this whole conversation ever happened." baba left the room, shaking his head.

Grayson could hear more laughter from the other room as he lay there, waiting to go to sleep. He would have to remember to ask mama if baba had talked to her. He really wanted a baby sister.


	79. Chapter 79:Grayson's Question

**Baby Book - Grayson's Question**

**Early Summer, 2270**

Grayson waited patiently through getting dressed in the morning, through breakfast, through supper, through the evening while mama and baba read and worked on the comm and played with him, until almost bedtime, but neither mama nor baba mentioned his question at all. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer. He got up off the floor and walked over to where baba sat on the couch, practicing on his ka'athyra. He waited by baba's knee until baba laid his hands on the strings, making the pretty song end, then he tugged on baba's pant leg.

"Yes, Grayson, what do you want?"

"Baba, baba, did you ask mama?"

Mama lifted her head from the PADD she was reading and looked at them. "Ask me what, Spock?"

Baba looked very strange again. He did not look at mama, or at Grayson. The tips of his ears turned very green. But he didn't say anything at all.

Mama looked at Grayson. "What did you want, baby?"

Grayson walked along the edge of the couch until he got to mama, and patted her knee. "Up, mama?"

Mama reached down and picked him up and settled him on her lap. She smoothed his hair back from his face and smiled at him. "Is there something you need to ask me, Grayson?"

"Yes, mama. Baba said he would ask you, but I don't think he did."

Mama looked at baba. "Spock, did you promise to ask me something for Grayson?"

Baba still wasn't looking this way. And his ears were still very green. Also his cheeks. "It is possible that I said something to that effect, yes."

Mama tilted her head and looked hard at baba. "SPOCK! You only talk to me like that when you think you've done something wrong. Now 'fess up! What's going on here?"

"Grayson asked a question last night at the poker game while everyone was eating snacks and talking."

"And?"

"The others enjoyed much merriment at it."

Mama turned and looked back at Grayson again. "Did you say something funny, baby?"

"No, mama. Not funny at all."

Mama looked back at baba. "Okay, Spock, out with it. What did he say?"

Baba mumbled something, so low that neither Grayson nor mama could understand it. Mama reached over and poked him. He finally turned to look at her. He cleared his throat. "He asked where babies come from. And then he asked for a baby sister."

Mama burst out laughing. She hugged Grayson and giggled at him. She looked at baba and laughed some more. Baba just sat there, his lips tight together, his ears still green. Mama said something in baba's language, using words that Grayson didn't know, and baba finally relaxed, the corners of his lips quirking up. Mama said something else and baba answered her and they both looked at Grayson.

"Hey, baby, do you really want a little sister?"

"Oh, yes, mama, please. Joey is going to get a little brother, but I would like a little sister. Jilly needs somebody to play with. A little sister would be very nice. I would be a good big brother." Grayson was trying very hard to look older while he said this.

Mama ruffled up his hair and cuddled him against her. "I guess you're not a baby anymore, are you Grayson? Are you ready to be my little boy and have someone else be my baby?"

"Yes, yes, please Mama."

"Well, let me think this over, okay? I need to talk to baba about it, too. This is an important decision to make. And it takes a while to make a baby, Grayson. Nine whole months. It's not like I can just go out and buy one. Do you understand that?"

Grayson looked a bit doubtful. "Why not buy one, mama? Have to make? How, mama?"

Now baba smirked at mama. "Your turn to answer the difficult question now, Nyota."

Mama glared at baba. "Not difficult at all, Spock. Grayson, babies grow inside their mamas, all warm and safe, until they are ready to be born. They start out very, very tiny - like the little carrot seeds we planted, remember? And they have to grow big before they can be born. It takes a long time."

Grayson leaned against mama's warm body and thought about that. "Mama keeps new baby all safe? Don't let anything bad happen to her?"

"That's right, little boy. Mamas keep their babies safe and warm."

Grayson nodded. "Good. Mama and baba make Grayson baby sister, mama keep her all safe and warm until she's big enough. Then Grayson can keep her safe, too. And Jilly can play with her. Good, good." Grayson smiled and laughed and hugged mama. Then he crawled out of mama's lap and across the couch into baba's lap and hugged him, too. Baba's warm arms hugged Grayson. Baba could help keep the baby sister safe, as well. Grayson was sure of it.


	80. Chapter 80:A Wonderful Idea

**Baby Book - A Wonderful Idea**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

It was almost time for baba to come and pick him up when he noticed that Miss Betty and Miss Lou were doing something strange. They were put chairs all around the area where the children usually sat for story time. And these were the same kind of chairs that folded up that baba had used for the poker game. Were they going to have a big poker game here in the day care center? But there was no table, just chairs. Well, whatever it was, Miss Betty would tell them about it when she was ready. He went back to crawling around on the floor with Jilly. She was getting really fast.

Joey's mommy and daddy came in and sat in two of the chairs. That was strange. And then Shron's parents came in and sat down, too. Very strange. And here came mama and baba, both! And they didn't even look at him, just went over and sat right down. Grayson stood up and walked over to mama. She was talking with Joey's mommy. Something about babies. Grayson waited until mama reached down and hugged him. "hi, little boy. Mama and baba have come for a meeting, so you can go back and play with your friends a while longer, okay?"

"Okay, mama. Hi, Joey's mommy. Are you keeping Joey's baby brother all safe and warm?"

Joey's mommy looked kind of funny. Mama giggled at him and gave him a hug and a gentle push away and started talking to Joey's mommy again. Grayson went back to Jilly. Mamas and babas could be so funny sometimes.

More and more people came in and sat down in the chairs. Finally Miss Betty came and counted everybody and then said they could start. Grayson and Joey sat over on the side and watched to see what was going on. Jilly came and sat down next to Grayson, leaning against him. Grayson put his arm around her and patted her.

Miss Betty started talking and Grayson listened. "Okay, everybody, this will be short and I have a handout that I will send to you by comlink. The captain has informed me that the Enterprise will be in orbit around EntertainmentWorld for a whole week. There are some repairs that are needed and the kitchen and commissary need to be restocked. So we have a real opportunity here. There is a really, really nice children's amusement park on EntertainmentWorld. And I have contacted them and talked to the captain already. We can have an Enterprise Day there, were the admission will be restricted, so the place won't be too crowded. The ship's treasury will pay for the admissions for the children, so the only cost will be for the parents. All children and parents on the ship will be welcome. I do encourage you to participate. Please return the permission slip that's in the handout by next Friday. Thanks, everyone. And if you have questions, just come talk to me anytime."

The mamas and babas started talking to each other excitedly. Whatever an amusement park was, Grayson thought it must be very nice, because everyone seemed to be very happy. Mama was laughing with Joey's mommy and Grayson heard her telling baba that OF COURSE we are going. He could hardly wait to see what an amusement park was. He hoped Jilly's mama and baba would take her, too.


	81. Chapter 81:Packing to Go

**Baby Book - Packing to Go**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

It was exciting. Mama had things laid out on the table, ready to pack. She would look at what was there, and then talk to herself, and go get something else. Grayson watched her to see what she would do next. Baba was trying to ignore her, sitting on the couch with a PADD. He said he was reading a technical journal, but Grayson had not seen him touch the controls that would scroll to the next page. He was just sitting there with the PADD in his hands, pretending that he was not watching mama.

Grayson watched mama count the number of shirts she had put on the table. Now she counted the socks. There were socks for baba and socks for mama and socks for him. And there was a big stack of diapers. Mama was looking at him now. "Little boy, when we get back from this trip, it is time for serious potty training. Mama is not going to be changing two sets of diapers at the same time. Not on your life."

Now baba was definitely looking at mama. "Nyota?" There was something strange in baba's face. Grayson wasn't sure what it was.

"No, Spock. Now you know better than that." And then she grinned at him. "But I didn't go get my shot this week." mama looked so happy.

Baba was very still for a minute, just looking at her. Then the corners of his mouth turned up and his eyes twinkled. "Then I suppose that I should cancel next week's appointment as well."

Mama walked around the table and sat in baba's lap. "That would work out better, yes." She giggled and then gave baba a big kiss. Grayson wanted a kiss, too. He ran over to the couch and tugged on the leg of baba's trousers.

"Up, baba, mama, up!" mama turned around on baba's lap and laughed at him. Then she reached down and picked him up, settling him down on her lap. Baba wrapped his arms around them both. Grayson hugged mama and gave her a big kiss. Then he leaned over and gave baba a big kiss. This was fun. "All packed, mama?"

"No, no, not even. Mama will need to get up and go finish. We need to leave early tomorrow. You need to decide what you want to take with you. Do you want a fuzzy to cuddle in bed while we're gone?"

"Yes, mama, please."

"Okay, then, you need to go get whatever you want and bring it to me now." Mama helped him climb down off the couch and he ran into his room to get his favorite fuzzy. He looked around, was there anything else he wanted to pack? There was the little finger puzzle that baba had given him, he could take that. He picked it up and ran back to mama, handing her the two toys. She smiled at him and laid them on the table. Then she turned to baba and asked him what else he wanted to pack. Baba looked at the things on the table. He handed her the PADD in his hands. Mama laughed and baba quirked up his lips at her.

Grayson could hardly wait. He didn't really know what an amusement park was, but everyone was so excited that it must be even more fun than the wading pool or going hiking in the woods. And they would use the transporter again! He looked at the things on the table again. "Mama, mama, no jammies, mama!"

Mama looked and then laughed and grabbed him up, swinging him around. "Oh, Grayson, you are so right! Thanks, little boy. Let's go get some out of your dresser right now. It's time for bed, anyway."

It wasn't very long before he was tucked in his bed, mama and baba sitting on the floor beside him, telling him stories as he drifted off, thinking of the trip to start tomorrow.

___________

Author's note: I just realized that I never gave Grayson a specific birthdate - just late summer 2268. Ideas? Input?


	82. Chapter 82:Off to EntertainmentWorld

**Baby Book - Off to EntertainmentWorld**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

It was amazing how many families with children there were on the Enterprise. In the beginning, of course, with the crew composed almost entirely of new graduates, there hadn't been any. But now, with marriages, and transfers, there were children of all ages on the ship. And it seemed that every family with children old enough to enjoy the experience had taken advantage of the planned trip to EntertainmentWorld. The transporter deck was crowded and the line stretched out down the corridor. The transporter technicians kept the line moving along as fast as they could, wasting no time. Scotty stood off to one side, keeping an eye on things. But when Spock and Uhura and Grayson got to the head of the line, he stepped up to the console. He would beam his friends down himself.

Grayson waved wildly as his friend. "Hi, Scotty." Scotty beamed back at him. Grayson was _so_ excited! He looked around - there were so many people going on this trip! He clutched the strap that went over baba's shoulder as baba stepped up on the transporter platform. He had an excellent view from the carry pack strapped to baba's back. Mama had the pack with the clothes in it strapped to her back. She was smiling and laughing, too. The other spaces filled up and then the funny tingling thing happened and they were somewhere completely different.

Grayson looked around in amazement. Everything was very bright - all the colors were so intense that they almost hurt his eyes. Baba and mama stepped down off the transporter platform and went to the lady standing by the door. Baba gave her their names and she pulled a package out of the box on the table by her side and handed it to baba. Baba nodded and then he put one hand on mama's back and they moved out into the corridor. Mama took the package and slit the end open, pulling out three funny looking things. She stuck one on the front of baba's shirt and one of the front of her shirt and then turned around and reached up and stuck one on the front of his shirt! Grayson bent his chin down, trying to see what it was. "That's your ID badge, Grayson. It has your name on it, so if you get lost, people will know who you are."

Grayson had no intention of getting lost. Mama and baba would be very mad at him if he did. And he didn't want to miss anything! Mama and baba walked down the corridor to where another lady stood. She looked at the outside of the package mama held and pointed off to the right. Mama thanked her and they walked that way. Only a short way down the corridor there was a slideway and mama and baba stepped onto it. It moved faster than they could walk, down the corridor until there were some big signs over doors. Big signs with lots of bright colored lights on them, that blinked and moved in patterns. Grayson was astonished. He had never seen anything like that before.

Mama looked at something in the package and said something to baba, who was searching the signs. Baba pointed ahead and mama nodded. Baba stepped off the slideway and took mama's arm, helping her step off. Then they headed for the door under the sign baba had pointed to. They walked through the door and there was a long counter, with several people standing behind it. There were two other families from the Enterprise standing there, talking to the people behind the counter. Baba stepped up to the counter and one of the men came right to him, looking at the badge on his shirt and then picking something up from behind the counter and handing it to baba. The man pointed off across the room to what looked like turbolift doors. Baba nodded and put his hand back on mama's back, starting across the room.

The doors were indeed a turbolift. They got in and baba pushed some buttons on the wall. The lift started with a jerk. Grayson almost grabbed one of baba's ears he was so startled. The lift also stopped with a big jerk. Mama complained. Baba said the lifts were improperly maintained. They were quick to exit to the hall. Mama saw a sign on the wall with arrows and numbers, baba looked at the thing the man had given him and said they should go to the left. Off down the hall they went until they found the door with the number that matched the one on the little thing the man had given baba. Baba put it in the slot in the door and the door opened. There was no touchplate. Grayson thought that was strange.

Mama looked all around the room, opening the door to the bathroom and the closet. She wrinkled her nose, saying she didn't like the scent that had been added to the air. Baba agreed. Then she turned her back to baba and he took the pack frame as she undid the straps. She turned around and took the pack and set it on the bed, then came around behind baba and held the carrier frame while baba undid the clasps in the front and slid his arms out of the straps. He turned around and lifted Grayson out of the carrier and set him down on the floor. While mama and baba unpacked and put things away, Grayson walked around the room, looking at everything. There was a big viewscreen on the wall, and a big long couch in front of it. There was a little wall behind the couch, with lots of holes in it, and on the other side of the wall was a great big bed. At the end of the couch, against the other wall, was a little bed, almost like the ones in the day care center. That bed must be for him and the great big one for mama and baba.

Then Grayson saw the food machine. It was BIG! Grayson had never seen a food machine that big. He wondered what kind of food was in it. He went and tugged on baba's trouser leg. "Baba, baba, look, food machine. BIG food machine." Baba and mama looked and laughed.

Mama bent down. "Would you like a snack, little boy?"

"Yes, yes, mama. Snack." Grayson smiled.

Mama went over to the food machine and picked up a PADD laying on top of it. "Spock, you wouldn't believe what you can get out of this thing! The menu is huge."

Baba came over and looked over mama's shoulder. He whispered something in her ear. Mama giggled, then said no very plainly. Grayson wondered what baba wanted that mama wouldn't let him have. Mama could be very strict about food. Mama finally decided on something and pushed the buttons on the food machine. She opened the door and handed Grayson something strange. He looked at it. There was a funny shaped piece of bread with stuff inside of it. Was that a soy dog? And yellow stuff on it and some kind of chopped stuff that looked like vegetables. Grayson took a bite out of the end. Sharp, tart, sweet, juicy. Grayson's eyes lit up and he chewed quickly.

Mama laughed. "I think you like that hot dog, little boy. The menu says it has mustard and onions and pickle relish on it. Do you like it that way?" Grayson nodded vigorously, his mouth too full to talk. Mama ruffled his hair and looked at the menu again. "Do you want anything, Spock? Anything NOT chocolate." Her lips were all quirked up, and baba's were, too. Baba was standing really close to mama, he must be happy to be here, too. Grayson licked his fingers, not wanting to miss any of the hot dog.

Mama was pushing buttons again. She took something out of the food machine and handed it to baba, then pushed more buttons. She took something else out and set it on top and then pushed some more buttons. This time she handed what she took out to Grayson. He took it and looked it over. This looked like a cookie! He took a small bite - peanuts! His eyes got big. Peanuts and cookies! Yum, yum. Grayson ate his cookie while mama and baba ate their food. Then mama washed his hands. She looked all around the room.

"Okay, guys, let's hit it!" Grayson and baba both looked at her, wondering what she meant. She sighed. "Let's go see the sights, okay. You guys have GOT to learn some slang!"


	83. Chapter 83:MerryGoRound

**Baby Book - Merry-Go-Round**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

Grayson could hardly wait for mama to put him in the carrier. Baba was buckling up the straps now. As soon as mama slipped him inside and fastened up the harness, he grabbed onto the shoulder strap and wiggled with joy. They were going into the amusement park today! He still wasn't sure exactly what that was, but everyone was so excited that it must be something very special. They went down the hall and entered the turbolift. There were already two other families there. Everybody talked and laughed. When they reached the lobby level, the entire turbolift emptied out. They all headed straight across the lobby and out onto the slidewalk, which already had a lot of people on it.

Grayson's head swiveled back and forth, trying to take in everything at once. There were so many colored lights! Some of the signs on the walls had pictures on them, too, all lit up brightly. Mama was looking at one of the little PADDs that had been in the package the man had given them, showing something to baba, who nodded at her. Then baba started looking ahead, scanning the signs above the slidewalk. After several minutes, he pointed to one and mama checked the little PADD again. Yes, that was the right one. As they neared that sign, baba stepped to the edge of the slidewalk, and then stepped off, reaching out his hand for mama to take as she stepped off. Then they walked toward the wide entrance with the big sign over it and bright colored lights all around, up one side, over the top, and down the other side. Grayson wiggled and jumped in the carrier until baba told him to sit still.

They stepped through the entrance and Grayson's eyes got very big. What were all those things? Big things that moved around, all covered in lights. And lots of loud music. And many people, all going in different directions. And things that smelled good to eat, too. Everywhere he looked, there were interesting things. Mama looked at the little PADD again and pointed off to the right. Baba followed her. They didn't go very far before they stopped in front of something very large and strange. It was round and had a platform, much like the platform in the transporter deck. There were tall poles all the way around it, and each pole had an animal stuck on it. The animals were painted in very bright colors, very strange colors for animals. There was a purple horse. And that was a green giraffe. And a red hippopotamus. Very, very strange. Mama went to the man standing before the strange thing and showed her badge. The man ran a little hand scanner over it, then motioned to baba. He ran the scanner over baba's badge, too. Baba had to tilt down just a bit so that the man could reach Grayson's badge to scan it. Then mama and baba stepped up on the platform. The man came running and said they would have to take the baby out of the carrier. Baba didn't seem too happy, but he turned his back to mama and bent his knees. Mama undid the straps and lifted him out of the carrier. Then she handed him to baba and climbed up on the purple horse. Then baba handed him back to mama and she put him in her lap, between her and the long pole. She fastened a safety harness around him and then put one arm around his waist and held onto the pole with the other hand. He put his hands on the pole, too. What was going to happen next?

Nice music started playing, but very loudly. The platform started to move. It turned around in a circle, felling funny. And then the poles started to move! The horse mama was riding on moved up on the pole. Grayson turned to look sideways at baba. Baba was sitting on the green giraffe, which was moving down! Before very long, mama was taller than baba! Grayson laughed and laughed. Then the poles started moving in the other direction. Now baba was way high and mama was very low. Oh, this was fun! Mama laughed with him, leaning over and kissing him. Baba looked very strange. Round and round they went, and up and down. Round and round and up and down. Grayson laughed and bounced.

When the music stopped, the poles stopped going up and down up. The round and round motion slowed and then stopped. Baba climbed down off the giraffe and took Grayson again while mama climbed down off the horse, which had stopped way up high. Then she put Grayson back in the carrier.

"Again, mama, again."

"Okay, Grayson, we'll ride the merry-go-round again after we try some of the other rides." Mama smiled at him.

"merry-go-round. I like the merry-go-round. Mama like the merry-go-round?"

Mama laughed. "Yes, Grayson, mama likes the merry-go-round."

"baba like the merry-go-round?"

Baba looked very thoughtful. "It was an interesting ride, Grayson. Not unpleasant."

Yes, baba liked the merry-go-round. Good. Grayson could hardly wait to ride it again. Then he smelled something wonderful! What was that? He pointed and called to mama. "Look, look, mama! Good smell food."

Mama turned to see what Grayson was pointing at. She smiled. "Yes, Grayson, funnel cakes are surely good. Come on, Spock, let's go get some."

They went over to the small cart and Grayson watched in fascination as the man behind the cart took a large bowl with a tube at the bottom and held it over the hot pan, letting the batter slid around in a circle. It puffed up and spattered and hissed. After a minute he took a broad utensil and flipped the whole thing over. What was on top now had changed from white to brown. How had he done that? It was all very interesting. Baba was watching, too. Now the man used the utensil to scoop the whole thing out onto a small plate and sprinkled it with something, then handed it to mama, running his scanner over her badge. Mama took the plate and they walked a short way off to stand under a bright awning. Mama broke off a piece and put it in baba's mouth, laughing. Then she broke off a smaller piece and gave it to Grayson. It was sweet. It was like good bread, only better. Grayson opened his mouth, eager for another bite. Mama took turns, taking a bite for herself, giving one to baba, and then one to Grayson. Soon it was all gone.

"Did you like the funnel cake, Grayson?"

"Oh, yes, mama, very good. Merry-go-round good, funnel cake good, amusement park good." Grayson was very happy. What would they do next? He could hardly wait to find out.


	84. Chapter 84:Ferris Wheel

**Baby Book - Ferris Wheel**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

Grayson looked out over baba's shoulder, eager to see what the next wonderful thing would be. Up ahead he saw Joey with his parents and called out to him. Joey turned around and waved, a big grin on his face. Mama and baba stopped for a minute and talked to Joey's parents while the two boys exchanged excited stories about what they had done so far. Then the two families separated, Joey's parents heading in the direction of the merry-go-round with an excited little boy tugging them along. Mama and baba headed in the direction of something Joey's daddy had mentioned - a ferris wheel. Grayson didn't know what that was, but Joey's daddy had really liked it.

When they turned a corner and saw the ferris wheel in front of them, Grayson gasped. It was big! It was covered with the bright colored lights, all flashing in a complicated pattern. They went up to the man standing at the gate and let him scan their badges, then they walked up a short ramp. Mama lifted Grayson out of the carrier and baba unbuckled the straps, slipping the carrier off. They stepped into a little cage with a long bench in it. Mama sat on the far side and buckled up the straps. She put Grayson down beside her, and buckled him up, too. Baba put the carrier on the floor in front of Grayson and sat down beside him, buckling up his own straps. The man who had scanned their badges came and closed the door of the little cage. He said something to baba, and baba reached up overhead and pulled down a long bar so that it came across all their laps. Mama had her arm around Grayson's shoulders, and baba put his hand on the bar, just in front of Grayson.

There was a big jerk and the little cage lurched and swung back and forth. Grayson's tummy lurched as well. Then the little cage started to move, backwards and up. They started slowly, but as they continued to move, it got faster. They rose up into the air and Grayson could see the metal bars that formed the center of the big wheel. He pointed excitedly to things and baba attempted to explain them to him. When they got very high up, on the top of the wheel, they could see out over the whole amusement park. Grayson squealed in delight. This was fun!

Then they started going down the other side. Suddenly Grayson couldn't see anything but sky! Where had the ground gone? This was a little scary. He hung on to mama's arm with one hand and grabbed baba's shirt with the other. Mama leaned over and kissed the top of his head and baba changed which hand he was holding the bar down with and put the one closest to Grayson on his knees, filling Grayson with warmth. That was much better.

The ferris wheel turned completely around several times. Up the back side, over the top, down the outside, and across the bottom. Then it slowed down. They were just starting to come over the top, where it felt like they were just hanging out in the air, when it stopped completely. Why had it stopped? Grayson was scared. Mama leaned over again. "They are letting people off, Grayson. They have to stop for each little cage and let the people out so more people can get on."

Oh. Grayson still held on tight. The ferris wheel started again with a jerk and a lurch and moved just a little, then stopped again. This kept up as they slowly moved down the front of the wheel. Grayson really didn't like this part. Finally it was their turn to get off. Baba slid out of the cage, then bent and picked up the carrier. Mama picked Grayson up and slid across the bench. Baba reached out with one hand to help her up, and then they moved down the little ramp and across the wide walkway to stand near a small group of chairs while baba put the carrier back on. Grayson was very glad to get back in the carrier again and hold onto baba's shirt.

Then he saw something he wanted. He turned his head to watch as a group of children went by. Each child had a big pink cloud on a stick that they were licking on and taking little bites out of. "Mama, baba, look, pink cloud! Grayson want one, please, mama, baba."

"Grayson, you already had one treat this morning. No more right now."

Grayson watched as the children with the pink clouds walked out of sight. He wouldn't forget that.


	85. Chapter 85:Train

**Baby Book - Train**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

Grayson looked all around, what was that strange sound? He saw something moving and looked closer. There was something that resembled the electric carts that carried large bulky objects around on the Enterprise, with a line of smaller carts behind it. The smaller carts were full of people. The strange sound seemed to be coming from there. He patted baba's shoulder. "Look, baba! What?" He pointed in the direction of the line of carts.

Baba and mama turned to look. "Oh, Spock, it's a train! I haven't seen one of those in so long."

Baba cocked his head. "This does not look much like the transit trains which we rode in San Francisco."

"No, this is a much older style - and much gussied up for children, as well."

"Gussied up? I do not believe I am familiar with this term."

"Fancy. Lots of decoration. See all the bright colors and little decorations?"

"Ah, yes. Do you wish to ride the train, Grayson?"

"Yes, please, baba. Ride Train!"

Mama and baba walked over to the train track and started walking along it, looking for a gate. After they had walked for several minutes, they found the gate and the man with the scanner for their badges. They walked through the gate and found themselves in a waiting area with a number of other people. Grayson looked around and saw Shron and his parents. He waved and called to his friend, who waved back, tugging on his parents hands. The whole family walked over to join Grayson's family, and the little boys talked eagerly while their parents exchanged information about the rides they had already experienced.

When the train pulled up and all the people had filed out, the man with the scanner opened the gate and let them through to the train. Baba turned around and mama lifted Grayson out of the carrier and baba removed it. Baba and mama sat down in one of the little carts. Baba put the carrier on the floor. Mama let Grayson stand up in the seat behind them, but she had one arm around him. The train made that strange whistling sound and slowly started up. As it gathered speed, a breeze blew through Grayson's hair. This was fun. He turned around and waved at Shron in the cart behind him. Shron grinned back at him.

The train ride lasted a long time. Grayson looked at all the things they went past. He could hardly wait to ride on those things. When the train stopped, he was sorry to have to get out. Baba put the carrier back on and mama set him back in it. They exited through the gate and set off down the broad walkway, looking for something else to do.

Grayson saw more people with the pink clouds and called excitedly to mama, but she insisted that it was not time for another treat. But she did say that it was almost lunch time. Maybe he could get another hot dog with mustard and onions and pickle relish! That had really been good. And then he saw the ice cream cones! Mama just laughed.


	86. Chapter 86:Roller Coaster

**Baby Book - Roller Coaster**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

Grayson laughed and pointed off to the left. Another train! But this one didn't go flat on the ground, it had bumps and twists and curves in the track. Baba and mama looked at it and then went to talk to the man with the scanner. He pointed off to one side and they nodded and thanked him and headed in that direction. Grayson looked back over his shoulder. That train had looked like so much fun!

Mama and baba walked for a few minutes and came to another man with a scanner. Grayson looked ahead - it was another train like the last one! But the bumps and twists didn't look as big on this one. Mama lifted him down out of the carrier and baba unbuckled all the straps. The man with the scanner took the carrier and put it into a big wire enclosure next to him. Then they walked up a little ramp and sat down on a bench in a long cart. Mama and baba buckled all the straps up and the man brought baba a big piece of something. Baba set it down in front of Grayson and fastened the hooks on the sides to recessed bars in the back of the seat. Grayson put his hands out and touched the thing. It gave, like his mattress. Baba did something and the mattress-thing snugged right up to Grayson, holding him still against the back of the seat. Grayson couldn't move much at all now.

The man with the scanner touched something and the long cart moved forward enough that another bench came level with the ramp. Some more people got in behind them. This happened twice more and then the man called out that they were ready to start, everybody hold on. Mama and baba looked down at Grayson and he grinned up at them.

The long cart began to move. First they just went along level, and then they began to climb up at an angle. Grayson could see the sky. They got to the top and suddenly they were going _fast_ down the other side. Grayson's tummy gave a little _swoop_. When they got to the bottom, they immediately started going up again, and around a curve at the same time. Grayson shrieked with glee. Down very fast, up again, around a curve, down very fast. Grayson pounded on the mattress thing and laughed and shouted. This was fun!

Beside him he could hear mama yelling too, but baba was very quiet. Grayson turned his head to look. The corners of baba's mouth were quirked up. Baba liked it then. They started going down again, very, very fast this time, and mama gave a little scream. Grayson screamed right along with her.

When the long cart came down the last incline and slowed to a stop, Grayson was ready to ride again, but mama and baba said it was time for lunch. Baba unhooked the mattress thing and gave it back to the man with the scanner, who handed baba the carrier. Baba didn't put it back on, but just carried it in his hand, taking Grayson's hand in his other hand. Mama took Grayson's other hand and they walked a short ways to where many tables were sitting in a large open area. There were chairs all around the tables and many little carts around the edge of the open area. Each cart had a different type of food. It all smelled wonderful. Grayson could hardly wait to eat.

Baba set the carrier down in a chair and went over to the side, coming back with a funny little thing that he sat on another chair. Mama sat Grayson down on the funny thing and he was just at the right height for the table. This was as good as the special chairs they had in the day care center! Mama sat down beside him and baba went over to the line of carts, looking at all of them. Then he came back and told mama what was there. Mama said she wanted the fried cheese on a stick and to get Grayson another hot dog. Grayson grinned happily. When baba came back with the food, mama laughed and said she knew that was what baba was going to get. Grayson looked at the food on baba's plate. Oh, nachos, yes, baba loved those. He kept trying to get the replicator to make them.

After they ate their food, they sat at the table and mama and baba looked at the map from the packet the man at the hotel had given them. Mama pointed to something on the map and baba agreed. He said that would be better than another ride until lunch had had time to settle. Grayson wondered where they were going next.


	87. Chapter 87:Petting Zoo

**Baby Book - Petting Zoo**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

Grayson had finished his hot dog and mama and baba had finished their food, too. Mama collected all the empty dishes and carried them over to the recycle bin. She came back with a little packet in her hand. Grayson didn't know what it was. Mama twisted it in her hands and it came apart. She pulled something white out of it and unfolded it. Oh, it was a wipe-up. Mama wiped his hands and face, then she wiped her hands on another corner, then she handed it to baba, who wiped his hands on the last corner. Then baba carried it over to the recycle bin. He picked up the carrier and settled it on his back, buckling up the straps. Mama looked at him. "Do you want to ride or walk, Grayson?"

"Walk, mama, please."

"Okay, but you must hold hands."

Grayson held up both hands and grinned. Mama grinned back. She lifted him down off the chair and set him on the ground, taking one hand. Baba bent down and took the other. Grayson stretched his arm as high as it would go so that baba didn't have to bend too much. They walked off down one of the paths that led away from the food place.

They walked along for several minutes and then mama pointed ahead and to the left. Baba looked and said that she was correct, and they went in that direction for several more minutes. Then they came to another man in front of a gate, holding a scanner. He scanned all their badges and told mama and baba that they could stay inside as long as they wanted to, but to be careful of the geese. Mama and baba looked at each other, and then mama asked the man what geese were. The man held up a picture of a bird with a long neck. Baba asked how big it was and the man held his hand way down close to the ground. Then mama asked if geese had teeth. The man laughed. Mama looked at baba and shrugged. The man opened the gate behind him and they walked through. The man called after them to watch and not let the goats eat the baby's clothes. Baba raised one eyebrow very high. Mama looked at him and whispered "What's a goat?" baba replied that he did not know.

Grayson looked around. They were in a big open place. There were trees scattered here and there and he could see water off ahead on the right. Was that a lake? There were several other families wandering around. Some of the people had little bags in their hands. Grayson wondered what those were. Baba and mama walked along and stopped when they came to a big box with a sign on it. Grayson couldn't read the sign. He tugged on mama's hand. "What say, mama?"

"It says this is food to feed the animals and that we can take a bag." mama reached into the big box and brought out one of the bags like the ones other people were carrying. She opened the top and held it down where Grayson could see what was in it. Some of it was corn, Grayson recognized that. So there were animals here? Grayson did not see any. They walked on in the same direction, walking around the edge of a bunch of trees. Suddenly, there in front of them was something Grayson had never seen before. He stared. What was that? It was taller than he was, but its arms were little and its hands just hung down in front of it. Its feet were long and flat. And then it did something very strange - it hopped! While Grayson watched, it hopped across the ground and disappeared.

"What that, mama? What?" Grayson was very excited.

"I don't really know, Grayson. We'll have to look it up."

While they stood there, Grayson heard something strange. Cluck, cluck, cluck. What was that? A very plump bird came strutting down the path, followed by a bunch of tiny fluffy yellow birds. Grayson knew what those were, he had seen them in his picture books. "Chickens, baba, chickens!"

"Yes, Grayson, those are chickens. They will eat the corn. Take a few pieces and throw them on the ground." mama held the bag and Grayson took a small handful of the corn and things in the bag and threw them at the chickens. The big chicken stopped and started gobbling up the corn. The smaller chickens ate some of the smaller things. They bobbed their heads up and down, poking the corn with the sharp things on their mouths. Grayson squatted down and watched them. One of the tiny yellow chickens came close enough that he reached out and touched it. It was very soft. The big chicken saw Grayson touch the little chicken and started flapping its wings and squawking at him. He backed up and hid behind baba's leg until the big chicken went away.

Mama and baba took his hands again and they walked some more. They came to a small enclosure. Inside the enclosure where several small furry animals. They came running when Grayson walked up to the wire. They jumped up and looked at Grayson, their tongues hanging out of their mouths. They made funny noises, bark, bark. Mama knelt down beside Grayson. "These are puppies, Grayson. Little baby dogs. You can pet them." mama reached out and rubbed the puppies on the head, behind their ears. They licked her with their long pink tongues. Grayson hesitated a minute and then reached out, too. The pink tongues tickled. Grayson laughed. The puppies jumped up again and wiggled all over. Baba reached over the top of the enclosure and picked up one puppy, kneeling down beside Grayson and holding the puppy so that Grayson could pet it. The puppy lunged up and licked his face. Grayson squealed and laughed. Oh, that was funny! Mama and baba let him play with the puppy for some time before baba put it back with the others.

They were just about to leave when another animal came up to them. This one was much bigger than the puppies and had a longer neck. It pushed it's neck against baba's leg. Baba looked down at it. "Go away animal. Do not push against my leg."

The animal paid no attention to baba's words, pushing again, very suddenly. Baba jumped. Mama was laughing. Grayson peaked around baba and looked right into the animal's eyes. It made a funny noise, like _bleat_. Then it came around baba, right up to Grayson and reached over and took hold of Grayson's shirt with its mouth. Grayson yelled. "Let go of me!"

Baba came quickly and pulled Grayson's shirt out of the animal's mouth. "This must be a goat. We should go elsewhere." mama was still laughing, but she picked Grayson up and they walked away from the goat.

Mama had no sooner set him down again than one of those white birds with the long neck came running at them, making a loud hissing noise. Mama picked him back up and darted behind baba. Baba stood there looking at the goose, until it darted its head forward and grabbed baba's leg in it's mouth. Baba jumped back then. "It bites! Move back quickly." mama backed away and baba kept between them and the goose until they got far enough away that it stopped hissing at them.

Mama was upset. "Why do they have a dangerous animal like that in here?"

Baba was not sure. He kept looking back at the goose and rubbing his leg.

Grayson was getting tired. It had been a very exciting day. He leaned his head against mama's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Hey, little boy, are you tired?"

"Yes, mama, tired."

"Okay, then. Let's put you back in the carrier and go back to the hotel. You can take a little nap, okay?"

"Okay, mama." mama lifted him up into the carrier and fastened the buckles. Baba told him to lay his head down against baba's back and go to sleep if he wanted to. That sounded nice. Grayson relaxed against baba's warm back. The motion of the carrier as baba walked was nice.

Mama and baba walked out of the area with all the animals in it and started back towards the place where they had entered the amusement park. Grayson just laid against baba's back with his eyes almost closed. They were almost out of the park when he saw more of the pink clouds. Instantly, he jerked up. "Mama, mama, pink clouds, mama! Look, look!"

Mama laughed. "Okay, little boy, you can have a pink cloud." she went over to the man at the cart and let him scan her badge, coming back with a small white cone in her hand with the pink cloud stuck to the top. She held it up to Grayson so that he could take a bite, and then she took a bite herself. Baba asked her what it was.

"I think it's just flavored sugar. It's very sweet, Spock. I really don't think you'd like it, but take a little taste."

Baba took a tiny taste and his face got tight. "Yes, very sweet." he looked at mama. "Should he have that much sugar?"

"No, I'll just let him have a little of it and then hide the rest when he goes to sleep." baba nodded.

While they walked back to the hotel, mama let him have several more bites. While they were waiting for the turbolift to take them back up to their floor, Grayson reached over and grabbed a hunk of the pink cloud. Neither mama nor baba saw him do it. He had it almost finished before mama saw.

"Oh, Grayson, baby, how much of that did you eat?" baba looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Spock, he must have reached over and gotten a handful. Here, take this so he can't get any more." mama wasn't happy with him. The pink cloud tasted very good. He really wanted more of it. He looked over baba's shoulder. No, he couldn't reach.

When they got back to the hotel room, mama washed his hands and face again and put him in the small bed, but Grayson wasn't sleepy any more. He felt wide awake. While mama and baba were standing on the little room outside the big window, he climbed out the bed and began to run around the room, laughing. Running felt so good. Then he found the pile of dirty clothes that mama had put on the closet floor and tossed them all up in the air, laughing again. He ran around the room some more. Then he stopped beside the big bed where mama and baba had slept last night. He grabbed the cover on the bed and climbed up. He crawled out into the middle of the bed and stood up. Then he started to jump. Up and down, up and down. This was fun. He giggled and squealed.

Suddenly, mama and baba turned around and saw him. Baba pulled the big window open and came into the room. "Grayson! What are you doing?"

Grayson kept jumping and laughing. Mama came in, too, and looked at him. Baba turned to mama, "What is wrong with him? Has he ingested something poisonous?"

"I don't think so. That doesn't look like the effects of poison. I don't know." mama went to the dresser and picked up her communicator and talked into it. Grayson heard her say mah-coy. She talked for several minutes and then said thanks and came back to baba.

"Bones says its a 'sugar high'. He says it will wear off when he's used up all that extra sugar that he ate. Take that thing and drop it in the disposal chute."

Baba did and then came back to stand beside mama, watching Grayson run around and jump on the bed. "How long do you suppose it will take to wear off?"

"Much too long." baba nodded, agreeing with her.


	88. Chapter 88:Teacups

**Baby Book - Teacups**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

Grayson was very eager to go the next morning. He had slept very well after his long run around the hotel room. Mama and baba did not look quite so alert. They had breakfast from the replicator in the room and baba picked up the carrier and settled it down on his shoulders. Mama lifted Grayson in and buckled him up and they were ready.

Grayson knew the way now and watched ahead eagerly. When he saw the man with the scanner at the gate, he leaned back and showed his badge. Baba had to tell him not to lean back so far.

Once inside the gate, mama and baba set off down a walkway they had not followed before. Grayson wondered where they were headed. They walked for several minutes and then the path widened out and went in two directions, curving around a large structure directly ahead of them. It looked something like the merry-go-round, except that there were no animals. Instead, the surface of the large round platform was covered with what looked very much like very big teacups! Grayson looked and looked. "Mama, cups for tea! Who can drink that much tea?"

Mama laughed. She walked up to the man with the scanner and he scanned her badge and let her through into the enclosure around the large structure. Baba walked up next and the man scanned his badge. Then baba turned sideways so that the man could scan Grayson's badge. The man pointed to a large wire container near where mama stood and baba nodded. He walked over to mama and turned around and mama lifted Grayson out of the carrier and sat him on her hip. Baba removed the carrier and placed it in the wire container. Then mama and baba stepped up on the platform and walked over to one of the giant teacups. There was an opening in the side and mama and baba stepped right through that opening and sat down on a padded bench that ran around the inside of the teacup. Grayson looked all around, very interested. Mama and baba buckled up the buckles. Then they settled Grayson down between them and buckled him in as well. Baba reached up and caught the big bar sticking up in the air and pulled it down onto their laps. The man with the scanner came up and handed baba one of the mattress-things and baba lifted the bar again and attached the mattress thing to the hooks, then lowered the bar again. Now Grayson was securely tucked in and fastened down. He could barely move.

They sat there for a few minutes while other people walked around and sat down in other teacups. Then the music started slowly. The big platform started to move around in a circle like the merry-go-round had. But the teacups did not go up and down - instead they started to turn around in small circles. Small circles within a big circle - round and round. For a minute, Grayson was dizzy. Then he started to laugh. Round and round and round. Oh, this was fun! Grayson waved his arms and laughed. Mama was laughing, too. Baba's lips were turned up and Grayson knew that meant baba was happy, too. The amusement park was so much fun!


	89. Chapter 89:House of Mirrors

**Baby Book - House of Mirrors**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

Grayson patted baba on the shoulder. "Walk, baba, please."

Baba looked at mama and she nodded. She reached up and lifted him out of the carrier and set him down on the ground, taking his hand. He stretched up towards baba, who took his other hand, and they walked off down the pathway. Soon they came to a very large building. Mama and baba talked softly to each other for a moment and then decided to go in. They walked up the ramp and stepped inside.

It was almost dark here. Baba and mama stood still for a moment, until their eyes adjusted, then they started forward again. They walked across a small room and through another door. There was a light there, shining from the ceiling toward the wall. It looked like there was another door on that wall, and coming through the door was another little boy with his mama and baba. WAIT! That was HIS mama and HIS baba! Grayson stopped still and looked hard, his mouth hanging open. That must be a big mirror. A BIG mirror. He looked at baba and mama. Mama smiled at him. "This building is full of mirrors, Grayson. Some of them will be funny." Grayson wasn't sure what a funny mirror was, but he was sure to find out.

They walked on, past the mirror, and found they were facing a wall. They had to turn left. They hadn't gone very far and there was another light, shining on the wall. Now Grayson knew there was a mirror there, but this was very odd. His head looked _very_ big! His head was not that big! And mama's head was very small. How did the mirror do that? He kept turning his head to look as they walked past.

The next mirror made him look very, very tall and very, very skinny. It felt really strange to look at that mirror and know that he was standing there, not like that at all. They turned another corner and they were in a very small room with mirrors all around. There were very many mamas and very many babas and very many Graysons! Everywhere he looked, there were more, going off in all directions. Mama laughed at his confusion and baba told him it was an optical illusion. He wasn't sure what that meant, but baba would explain it if he asked him to. He must remember to ask tonight after supper.

They left the small room and turned another corner. This mirror was all full of ripples, making their bodies look twisted and bent. Another mirror made tall baba look very short. They were all different. It was very strange.

Grayson was almost glad when they walked out of that building. He wasn't sure about all those mirrors. But when mama suggested lunch, he was sure that he was hungry!

They found another food place and baba brought him one of the little seats to put in the chair again. Mama decided to have a hot dog with him, but she had something called 'fried onion rings' with hers. Baba had nachos again, surprising neither mama nor he. Baba loved nachos. Grayson watched as baba stole one of mama's onion things. Mama scolded him, but she was laughing.

When they finished eating, mama put him back in the carrier and they wandered down another path. It took them down a ramp and suddenly they were surrounded by water. Grayson gasped. How could they be underwater and still dry? Then he saw all the fish swimming around them. He yelled and pointed, showing mama and baba all the fish. They stayed there for some time, enjoying the bright colors of the tiny fish.


	90. Chapter 90:Bumper Cars

**Baby Book - Bumper Cars**

**Mid Summer, 2270**

Grayson watched over baba's shoulder to see what might come up next. Everything here was so exciting! All the colored lights blinking and banners blowing on top of poles, even though it wasn't windy where they were walking. And everybody was happy, laughing and shouting and having fun. Up ahead there was another thing that looked a lot like the merry-go-round and the teacups, but it was different. And mama and baba were headed there! Grayson started to bounce, and then remembered he wasn't supposed to do that in the carrier and stopped quickly before baba had to scold him.

Mama stepped up the the man with the scanner and asked him where to put the carrier. He pointed to another one of the wire cages off to the left. He scanned mama's badge and baba's badge and then baba turned so that he could scan Grayson's badge. They walked over to the wire cage and mama lifted him out of the carrier and baba undid all the buckles and set the carrier down inside the wire cage.

Now Grayson could see what this was. There were little carts all over the floor of the big round enclosure. There were people in the little carts and they were all moving around and bumping into each other! Grayson laughed because it looked like so much fun. He pulled on mama's shirt, pointing.

"Yes, Grayson, we're going to get in the bumper cars in just a minute!" mama was laughing, too.

They walked over to where several of the little carts sat, empty. Baba bent his long legs down into one of the carts and buckled up. Then he held up his arms and mama handed Grayson to him. He sat Grayson down beside him and fasted a big webbed harness over him. Grayson bounced up and down on the seat, he was so excited. Mama got into another little cart and buckled up. Then mama and baba did something with the big wheel in front of them and the little carts moved away from the side and into the big open space.

Mama turned her cart and bumped right into them! Grayson gasped! Was baba going to be mad? No, baba's lips were curled up on the sides, so he wasn't mad. Baba spun the wheel in front of him very hard and stepped on something on the floor and smacked into the side of mama's cart, making it turn in a circle. Mama screamed and hollered at him. But she was laughing at the same time. This was so much fun! Grayson laughed and laughed, waving his hands in the air. "Go, baba, go, go fast and make mama's cart spin again!"

Baba looked down at Grayson and his lips turned up even more. Grayson smiled back, and then turned to see what mama was doing, just as she smacked her little cart into the back of their cart. She was laughing very hard. Baba spun the wheel again, trying to turn their cart around before she could run into them again. Grayson whooped with glee. This was the best ride yet!

Baba got their cart turned around, but mama smacked them again, still laughing. Then baba made their cart move faster and ran right into the side of mama's cart. She starting spinning her wheel again, trying to get out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough and baba smacked her again. Grayson bounced again, so excited.

After they had been in the carts for quite a while mama called out and said she had had enough, and baba made their cart go back to the side and they all got out. Grayson tugged at mama's leg. "More, mama, more."

"Oh, little boy, I'm sorry, but mama laughed so hard she needs to go pee right away. It was lots of fun, wasn't it?"

"Oh, yes, mama, lots of fun. Baba liked it, too."

"Yes, I see that he did." She reached over and patted baba cheek. "I saw you smiling, Spock."

"It was a most agreeable experience." Baba's lips were still quirked up at the corners. "I believe the ladies' room is right over there. I will get the carrier and wait for you."

Mama took off, almost running, in the direction baba pointed. Baba walked over to the wire cage and got the carrier and they walked out of the gate, over in the direction mama had gone. Grayson saw something. "Look, baba, ice cream."

Baba looked where Grayson was pointing. "Would you like an ice cream cone, Grayson?"

"Oh, yes, baba, please."

Nyota came out of the ladies' room and looked around. Where were Spock and Grayson? Oh, over there. What did they have? Well, Grayson had a vanilla ice cream cone. Spock had...WAIT! Spock had a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone! He knew better than that. She went flying in their direction to take it away from him, but he held it up over her head, almost laughing at her.

"We are leaving now, are we not?"

"But...But..."

"Does the hotel not have a 'drop-in day care center'? We can leave him there to play for an hour ....or two." baba looked at mama in a very strange way. Mama looked back at him, then she looked at Grayson, then she laughed. She picked Grayson up and sat him on her hip and started walking for the exit, baba following along, eating his ice cream cone and holding the carrier in his other hand.


	91. Chapter 91:Home Again

**Baby Book - Home Again**

**Early August, 2270**

Grayson was so glad to be back home again. The amusement park had been lots and lots of fun, but it was so nice to be sleeping in his own bed again, and back in the day care center with his friends. Everyone was talking at once about everything they had done in the amusement park. Everyone had had so much fun.

First they talked about the merry-go-round. Grayson had ridden on a purple horse with mama, and baba on the green giraffe. Joey had ridden the pink hippopotamus with his daddy, and his mommy had ridden on a blue lion. Shron said he had ridden the golden elephant with his first mother, his second mother had been on the silver octopus. His fathers had not ridden, they had stood and watched. Sam just giggled and wouldn't tell them which animal he had ridden. Jilly laughed at them all. Her mommy and daddy had decided she was too young to go, but she was enjoying listening to them talk about it.

Then they talked about the teacups and laughed and laughed. They spun around in circles on the floor until they fell over laughing. Miss Betty kept her eye on them, but she was smiling.

Not everyone had ridden on the roller coaster or the ferris wheel, so the ones that had needed to go into great detail about what it had felt like. Little eyes got very big when the others described how their tummies had felt when they went rocketing around the corners and swooped up and down the curves.

Everyone had ridden the train and they all loved it. They talked about all the things they had seen from the little carts that the train pulled.

When they got to the petting zoo, they discovered that everyone had seen some animals that the others had not. And they didn't know what some of the animals were. So they went and asked Miss Betty, who got out the animal identifier and helped them find out. She put pictures of all the animals they had seen up on the wall for them, so that everyone could learn the names of those animals. Grayson discovered that the first animal he had seen was called a wallaby. He would need to remember to tell mama and baba that.

Finally they were all tired from talking and laughing and spinning around in circles and ready to take a nap. Grayson laid down on one of the little cots. Jilly was trying to climb up on the next one. Grayson got up to help her, but he couldn't quite push her high enough. Miss Lou came running to help. She got Jilly settled down on the cot and Grayson got back on his and laid down. Jilly reached over toward him and Grayson reached across and held her hand. That felt very nice - all the little sparkles were very funny. He didn't feel those sparkles when he held anyone else's hand. Maybe he would ask mama or baba about them. But right now he was going to sleep a while.

***

After naptime, they all played in the sandbox. Even Jilly got to get in the sandbox. And then they played with the blocks for a while. Grayson showed the others the game Unca Jim had showed him and some of them could play it and some just knocked all the blocks over. Grayson had a big stack of blocks when Joey knocked the whole thing over. Grayson was upset until Jilly leaned over and gave him a big hug. Grayson really liked that. He sat there and smiled. Maybe he would ask her to hug him again tomorrow.


	92. Chapter 92:Potty Training

**Baby Book - Potty Training**

**Early August, 2270**

Grayson stood in the doorway to his bathroom, watching baba and Scotty building something. He couldn't tell what it was or why they were building it in his bathroom, but he knew better than to interrupt when baba was using tools, especially tools that could cut or burn. So he just stood there and watched and tried to figure it out.

After a while, mama came to see how the building was going on. She stood beside him and watched, not interrupting the men, other than to smile at baba when he looked up. Grayson reached up and tugged on her pant leg. "mama, mama, what are they making?"

"Something just for you, little boy. You'll see when it's finished. Now don't bother them, okay?"

"No, mama, I won't bother them. I just watch." She ruffled his hair and walked back into the other room. He continued to stand there and watch. They had finished cutting all the pieces now and were using the tool that melted things to seal them together. He watched as the thing started to assume a shape.

Wait, he knew what that was. Think, Grayson, where have you seen something like that before? Oh, yes, when they went on vacation. One of the big buildings there had had something like this out in front. What had baba called them? Yes, stairs. Why were they building stairs in his bathroom? There was not another room above that they could go to. And surely the stairs would interfere with the use of the room? He didn't want them blocking access to the bathtub.

He watched as the stairs assumed shape. Baba and Scotty carefully fit them together, then they measured again. Then baba came over to him and measured him! Why was baba doing that? Baba went back over to Scotty and said something about the height being correct, and then they moved part of the stairs over in front of the small sink and started fastening them to the floor. Grayson watched in amazement. He would be able to step up those stairs and reach the sink, all by himself! He clapped his hands, unable to conceal his glee. Baba turned toward him and raised one eyebrow, then quirked his lips at the look on Grayson's face.

When the sealant had dried, baba held out his hand and Grayson came quickly and climbed up the stairs, standing at the top. He reached out and waved his hands under the faucet and the water came out. He laughed out loud. This was very nice! He turned to baba and Scotty and laughed, holding up his wet hands. Scotty laughed back. Baba just gave him that little tiny smile and then told him to climb down so that they could finish.

He climbed back down to the floor and waited to see what came next. There was another small section of stairs sitting there on the floor. Where did that go? He watched as baba and Scotty moved it around on the floor. Then baba came and measure part of him again, then went to measure the air above the steps. Why was he doing that? Scotty moved the stairs over close to the toilet and baba made some more measurements, and then they fastened those steps down, too. He wasn't sure what they were doing. They finished, and stood up. Baba thanked Scotty for his help, and Scotty said not to mention it, that he was always glad to help with something for the small lad. Grayson guessed that was him. He held up his arms and Scotty gave him a big hug before he left.

Then mama came in and looked at the new stairs, smiling. Grayson showed her how he could climb up the stairs and wash his own hands. Mama clapped at him, saying what a good boy he was. Then she turned to baba and said something very strange, that sounded like "now show him how to use the other stairs, Spock." Grayson was puzzled and baba looked very odd as well.

Now mama laughed. "Spock, this is something I can't show him how to do. It's all up to you."

"But, Nyota, I..."

"You're his father. And he's taken many showers with you. It's not like he hasn't seen everything before."

"This is hardly the same. This is...is...private." baba was turning very green. Grayson watched, fascinated.

"You want me to get Jim in here to show him?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Well, then, what do you suggest?"

"You could just explain to him what is necessary." baba looked at mama, and mama glared at baba. Baba gave a great sigh. Mama leaned over and whispered in baba's ear. Baba looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"No, I do _not _need any assistance with the demonstration." baba was definitely green now, his ears and cheeks both. "I am perfectly capable of....of demonstrating....the necessary...technique."

"Then I will leave you to it." mama patted baba's cheek and left the room. Grayson looked at baba. He did not understand at all what they had been talking about. Baba looked at Grayson, then heaved another big sigh.

"Grayson, your mother has decided that it is time for you to learn how to use the toilet, rather than wearing diapers. Since she is a female, and you are a male, she has decided that I am the proper parent to demonstrate the necessary functionality to you." Having gotten that speech out, baba stopped for a moment before continuing. "I know that you have enough awareness of your body to know when your bladder and bowels are full. From now on, when you have this feeling, you are to come here and relieve yourself, rather than relieving yourself in your diaper. Do you understand this?"

Grayson was not sure. He looked at baba in confusion. Baba sighed again, then reached out with one long finger and touched Grayson's temple. Grayson immediately felt the 'gotta go now' feeling. His eyes got big and he looked at baba. "Gotta go, baba."

"Yes, that is correct, Grayson." baba reached over and removed Grayson's pants and diaper. "Now walk up the steps."

Grayson climbed up the steps and stood in front of the toilet. Baba reached over and raised the seat up. Grayson looked down into the water. What was he supposed to do now? He looked up at baba again. And then baba unsealed the front of his trousers and showed Grayson what to do. Oh. Grayson copied baba's actions very carefully. That was interesting. Look at all the funny ripples in the water.

"Grayson, there is one more thing you must do." baba showed him and Grayson did the shaking thing, just like baba. Then baba told him he must wash his hands. Baba washed his own hands, and Grayson climbed the other stairs and washed his hands as well. Baba told him he had done very well. Grayson smiled at baba.

Now baba took out something from the drawer beside the sink. They looked a lot like baba's briefs. He put them on Grayson. "Don't forget, Grayson. Whenever you get that feeling, come in here."

"Yes, baba, I'll remember." Grayson went running into the other room to show mama his new briefs. He was very happy with them.

Mama asked baba something and baba just shook his head. "Spock! You only did half of it!"

"You can explain the other part to him without need of an actual demonstration. He will understand." Baba was adamant. Grayson had seen that look before.

"Perhaps you could just give him a mental image, then. That ought to work." mama watched baba very closely.

Baba sighed again. He knelt down in front of Grayson. Grayson looked at him with big eyes. Baba put his finger against Grayson's temple again and sent him another image, another feeling. Grayson knew that feeling - stinky bottom! Baba withdrew his finger from Grayson's skin. "Do you understand, Grayson?"

"Yes, baba, stinky bottom in the toilet, too. Then tell mama to clean up."

mama laughed. "No fair, Spock. Either of us can help you clean up, Grayson." she gave him a big hug. "Now you're mama's big boy, aren't you?"

"Yes, mama, Grayson big boy. No more diapers. Now you get a baby sister for me?" Grayson didn't understand why baba was smiling, really smiling, at mama. Or why mama's face was all red. Hadn't she said that she wouldn't get the baby sister for him while he was still in diapers? And now he wasn't, so it must surely mean that the baby sister was coming soon. Grayson was very happy.


	93. Chapter 93:Happy Two Years Old

**Baby Book - Happy Two Years Old**

**16 August 2270**

Grayson sat very still, being good. Mama had dressed him up in brand new clothes, brushed his hair until it shone, and then told him to sit still and behave while she got dressed. She had given him a PADD with a pictures of the amusement park on it to look at while she was busy. He didn't know where baba had gone earlier, but he had dressed up before leaving, too. Something was going on, he was sure of it.

Mama came out of the bedroom wearing a pretty red dress. She had her hair braided and wrapped around her head, with pretty red cords braided in. Grayson clapped his hands. "Pretty mama!" mama came over and hugged him and kissed his cheek, making him giggle.

"Come on, little boy, let's go!" mama held out her hand, and Grayson reached up and held her fingers, and they walked out into the corridor. He didn't know where they were going, but he hoped it involved food, because he hadn't had any supper yet. After a few minutes, he thought they must be going to the mess hall, because he recognized these hallways. And sure enough, there it was, up ahead.

When they got close to the mess hall, mama began to talk to him. "Do you know what today is, Grayson?"

"No, mama. Is it a special day? Is that why we got dressed up?"

"Yes, it certainly is a special day. Today is your birthday, Grayson. You are two years old today."

Grayson thought about that. He very faintly remembered something about a party last year, where everybody had wished him happy birthday. And Sam had had a birthday cake at the day care center a while back, he remembered that. Maybe he would get to have cake with his supper. He would like that.

They came to the door to the mess hall, and Grayson looked around in surprise. There were balloons everywhere! And lots of people, all dressed up! And a BIG CAKE! Grayson looked about, eager to see everything. Now everyone was laughing and saying "Happy Birthday!"

And there was baba with something in his hands - what _was_ that? Baba sat it down on the floor and Grayson could see - it was a little shuttle, like the one baba took when he went away from the ship. Mama had shown him on the viewscreen. Baba had something in his hand and when he pushed the buttons, the little shuttle flew across the room! Grayson clapped his hands in surprise. Oh, how wonderful! Baba came over and showed him how to work the buttons to make the little shuttle land, and take off again, and turn in circles. Grayson was overjoyed. Joey and Sam and Stevie all came up and wanted to see, too. Grayson told them to be careful, he would show them.

The adults stood back and watched the awe-struck boys playing with the remote-control shuttle. Scotty was beaming. "We did good, din't we, Spock? He's right thrilled."

"Yes he is. Thank you so much for helping."

After a while, mama came and said it was time to cut the cake. Baba took the remote control and the little shuttle and set them up on the table, where no one would step on them. Mama cut the cake and passed out pieces to everyone. Grayson and his friends sat at the table and ate soy dogs and cake and talked and laughed. Birthday parties were a lot of fun!

Grayson got so tired that baba carried him back home. Mama carried the tiny shuttle and the remote control. She put them on Grayson's dresser. Mama and baba sat down next to Grayson's bed as he was falling asleep. Baba put his arms around mama and pulled her up close to him. He heard baba telling mama that she smelled very, very good and it was too bad that his shot had not completely worn off yet. Grayson wasn't sure what that meant, but it made mama happy, he could tell. She was giggling at baba.


	94. Chapter 94:Birthday Pictures

**Baby Book - Birthday Pictures**

**Mid August, 2270**

Grayson sat quietly, being good, while mama and baba finished getting dressed. Mama said they were going to have pictures taken again, so he must keep himself looking nice. She gave him some new pictures to look at and so he sat here quietly, pushing the button on the PADD to see the next picture. Here came baba, wearing his dress uniform! Oh, he looked very nice! And now here was mama in _her_ dress uniform! They didn't wear those very often. He wished that _he_ had a dress uniform. Baba picked him up and sat him on his hip and they left their quarters. Grayson was very interested to see where they were going.

First they got on the turbolift and his tummy did that funny thing. He giggled and mama leaned over and kissed his cheek. When they got off the turbolift, they walked down a long corridor, and then they came out into the big room with the window all down one wall. Grayson could see the stars. He really loved this room. Baba walked over in front of the window, where there was a long bench. He stood Grayson up on the bench. Then baba stepped over the bench and stood behind Grayson. Mama stood in front of the bench, beside Grayson.

There was a man there waiting for them. He had some equipment set up and now he was talking to mama and baba, telling baba to move over just a bit and put his hand on mama's shoulder. Instead, baba put his hand at the side of mama's waist. Then he put his other hand on Grayson's side. Grayson could feel the warmth through his clothes. He tilted his head up and smiled at baba. Baba quirked his lips up at Grayson and then told him to straighten up again.

Grayson stood up tall. Mama reached over and slid her arm around his waist, clasping baba's wrist behind him. He could feel her arm against his back. It was very nice. Both mama and baba were touching him. He smiled a big smile. The man with the equipment did something and a big light flashed. Grayson blinked. The man waited a minute, and then flashed the big light again. Now Grayson saw funny little spots. He reached out and tried to grab them. Baba asked him what he was doing. "Funny little spots, baba. Try to catch them."

Mama started to laugh and then stopped. "Those are from the flash, little boy. You can't catch them."

Baba leaned over. "Do not look directly at the flash, Grayson. It is not good for your eyes. Instead look at the wall across the room."

Grayson nodded. He would do that next time the man started pushing buttons.

Now the man told them to move to the end of the bench. He had mama stand right next to the end of the bench, with Grayson on the bench beside her. Baba was still behind them. When they were all standing still, baba whispered at him. "Look at the wall, Grayson." So that is what Grayson did. The bright light flashed once, then the man said to smile, so Grayson did and the light flashed again.

Next the man had mama sit on the bench, with Grayson beside her. Baba stood behind them. The man did something and said, no, that won't work, there was too much height difference. So mama stood up again and baba sat down on the bench beside him. Then mama stood behind him, with her hand on baba's shoulder. The man liked that, so the light flashed again.

Finally, they seemed to be finished. The man said he would get the pictures to them in two days. Baba picked him up again and they went home. Mama took his good clothes off and put a tee shirt and overalls on him and said he could go play. So he went to play with his new tiny shuttle while mama and baba changed their clothes. Baba looked through the door in a little while and saw what he was doing. Then baba sat down on the floor beside the door and just watched him. Pretty soon Grayson came over and sat in baba's lap while he pushed the buttons to make the tiny shuttle do things. Baba put one arm around Grayson's tummy to help him keep his balance and they sat there together until mama said it was time to go eat supper. Mama said she wished she had a picture of them sitting there together and baba reached up and squeezed her hand while she smiled at him.


	95. Chapter 95:Jilly's Walking!

**Baby Book - Jilly's Walking!**

**Late August, 2270**

Grayson hugged baba and ran into the day care center. Everybody was already there! He could see Joey and Grrel in the sandbox, and Sam and Shron and Suzy were playing with the blocks and Stevie and Pete were going through the pile of fuzzies. And there was Jilly, holding onto Miss Betty's hands and _walking_! Grayson ran right over and stopped next to her. He grinned and clapped his hands. Jilly was walking!

Jilly grinned back at him. She bent her knees and bounced, then she took another step. Miss Betty smiled, watching the two children smile and laugh at each other. She walked Jilly all across the room and then back to where they had started. Then she let Jilly sit down and she stood and rubbed her back.

Grayson sat on the floor next to Jilly and talked to her. She laughed at him, patting him on the arm. "Gaysn"

Grayson was astounded. Jilly had never said his name before! It felt funny, down inside. He wasn't sure why. "Pretty Jilly." He touched her curly hair. Jilly laughed and patted his face. That felt _really _nice!

And then Suzy came over and squatted down beside Jilly. "Jilly's walking! I saw." Jilly turned to Suzy and smiled. The two girls leaned together and Suzy gave Jilly a big hug.

Stevie came over to see what was going on and Suzy told him Jilly had walked all across the room. Stevie smiled at Jilly and gave her a hug, too. Grayson wasn't sure he like everybody hugging Jilly. It made him feel odd. So he put his arm around her shoulders. He would keep her safe. That made him feel all better.

Here came Miss Lou. She held out her hands and Jilly grabbed them and pulled herself up. Then Miss Lou took her walking around the room again. Grayson trailed along behind until Joey called him over to the sandbox. Then he sat down with Joey and Grrel and built a big tower of sand with tunnels under it. When they made the third tunnel, the whole thing fell in. Grrel made very funny noises then. Joey looked at Grayson and they both looked at Grrel. What was he doing? Finally they realized - he was laughing! He had a very strange laugh. They hadn't heard it before. Now that they knew what it was, they laughed too.

It was a good day. Everybody was happy. And they had cheese pizza for lunch!

Miss Betty was walking Jilly around the room again when mama came to pick him up. Grayson dragged her over to watch. Mama ruffled his hair and hugged him. And then she picked him up and settled him down on her hip and headed for the mess hall, talking and laughing with him all the way.


	96. Chapter 96:Joey's Baby Brother

**Baby Book - Joey's Baby Brother**

**Early September, 2270**

Grayson was riding to the day care center on baba's shoulders today. He really liked riding way up high like this. He could see everything, all up and down the corridor. There was Joey's mommy just at the door to the day care center. She looked kind of funny. Baba hurried in her direction and quickly set Grayson down on the floor and told him to run get Miss Betty. Grayson looked around to see where she was and ran right over to her. "Miss Betty, baba said come right away. Something is wrong with Joey's mommy."

Miss Betty ran fast out the door to where baba and Joey's mommy were. Baba was holding Joey's mommy up and her face was all screwed up. And Uh,oh! She had had an accident on the floor. Grayson didn't know that grownups had accidents too. Miss Betty came running back in and hit the panic button on the wall. He heard McCoy's voice come out of the speaker. "Sick Bay, McCoy here. Is there a medical problem at the day care center?"

"Yes, Dr, the mother of one of our children has just gone into labor. Commander Spock was coming in with his son just as she started to collapse and he is with her."

"I'll have a team there in just a minute. Just try to keep her calm."

"Yes, I will." Miss Betty went back to where baba was standing, still holding onto Joey's mama and talking very quietly to her. Joey's mommy looked better now, not so scared. Miss Betty took one of her hands and patted her on the shoulder.

Then the medical team came flying down the corridor. They had a strange thing with them. Grayson wasn't sure what it was, but it looked sort of like a bench, only taller. Baba picked Joey's mommy up and laid her on it and the medical people fastened a webbing over her. While Grayson watched, her big round tummy did something very odd - it changed it's shape! It got very pointed at the top and then it was like something was rolling around inside. Grayson had never seen anything like that before!

Grayson felt someone take hold of his hand and looked over. There was Joey, looking scared. "It's okay Joey. Baba caught your mommy before she fell on the floor. And now Dr McCoy is waiting for them to bring her to him. He'll fix whatever's wrong with her, right away. I know he will." He squeezed Joey's hand.

The medical people went flying back down the corridor again, pushing the bench thing with Joey's mommy on it. Miss Betty came and knelt down in front of them. "Your mommy's going to be fine, Joey. And later on today, your new baby brother will be here."

Grayson wondered how they knew that, but he didn't ask any questions. He looked up and there was baba. Baba knelt down beside him, too. "Don't be afraid, Grayson. Everything is fine. Joey's mommy and baby brother are doing well." baba reached out and brushed the side of his face with his fingers and Grayson could fell the warmth that was baba, reassuring him. He nodded. Baba stood up and talked to Miss Betty a minute and then left. Grayson took Joey over to the pile of fuzzies and they sat down together, cuddling the fuzzies and talking.

***

When mama came to pick him up, she asked him how he was doing. "I'm fine, mama. How is Joey's mommy?"

"She is fine, too, little boy. And so is Joey's new baby brother. There was a lot of excitement here this morning, wasn't there?"

"Yes, mama, lots of excitement. And then Joey's daddy came and got him early to take him to see his new baby brother." Grayson was quiet a minute and then looked back at mama. "How did baba know Joey's baby brother was coming here today? Joey didn't know."

Mama looked a little confused. Then she got that far-away look that meant she was trying to figure out how to explain something to him. She looked back down at him and smiled. "Joey's mommy told him. She could tell. She just didn't know it when she left Joey inside. Okay?"

For some reason that didn't seem like enough explanation to Grayson, but he was hungry, so he didn't ask anymore questions.


	97. Chapter 97:Talking to Grandparents

**Baby Book - Talking to Grandparents**

**Early September, 2270**

Once again, Grayson was sitting still, being good, while waiting for mama and baba to finish getting dressed. They seemed to put on dress-up clothes almost every day recently. Mama said something about 'making calls'. He wasn't sure what that was or why they had to dress up to do it, but surely he would find out soon.

Here came baba and he was moving furniture now. Grayson watched in fascination as baba turned the comlink screen around on the desktop so that it faced into the living area and moved chairs in font of it. Then baba set some big books on the center chair and picked Grayson up and sat him on the books so that he was facing right at the screen. Where they going to watch a movie? Mama called out something and baba answered yes and then sat down beside Grayson and turned on the comlink. As mama came out of the bedroom toward them, baba pressed several keys and the screen lit up. Mama sat down in the empty chair and leaned over and gave Grayson a little kiss before turning toward the screen.

Grayson sat patiently and waited to see what would happen. The image on the screen changed several times and there were words there. Grayson didn't know what they meant, but those were surely words. Then the words disappeared and there was a face! A face that Grayson knew! "Sa'mekh'al!"

"Grayson. Sa'fu'al, na'shaya. Spock, Nyota, this is an unexpected pleasure." The expression on Sarek's face was almost pleasant. He paused, tilted his head in a manner Nyota found very familiar, and continued. "Would it be acceptable if I summoned Selek?"

Nyota immediately answered. "Oh, yes, please do. We have not had a chance to visit with either of you in much too long."

Sarek turned and spoke to someone off camera and then turned back. "Is there some particular reason for the call? I did receive the holo which you had taken for Grayson's second birthday. I had not seen the two of you in your dress uniforms together since before Grayson was born."

Spock answered. "I am not sure that we had actually been in our dress uniforms together in that length of time. Grayson was quite impressed."

Sarek looked at Grayson. "Did you find your parents' attire interesting Grayson?"

Grayson bubbled over. "Sa'mekh'al, will you please tell baba and mama that I need a dress uniform, too?"

Nyota burst out laughing, then tried to subdue it. "Grayson, you must be a member of Star Fleet to have a dress uniform." She saw that the corners of Spock's mouth were quirked up, and glancing at the screen, she noticed that Sarek had almost the same expression on his face.

At that moment, another, older Vulcan face appeared in the screen beside Sarek. "Apparently I have missed something extremely funny." Sarek said something softly and the other's face creased in delight. "Indeed. Of course, this young one wants a dress uniform. It is highly logical."

Grayson beamed. That was a great compliment, he knew that much. "Na'shaya, toz'ot'al Selek."

"Na'shaya, Grayson. Your Vulcan is spoken very well for such a young one."

Grayson grinned. Another compliment. "Something very interesting happened to me yesterday. May I tell you?"

All the adults looked at him. Baba raised one eyebrow. Mama shrugged. "Yesterday was kind of exciting for him. Go ahead, little boy."

Grayson immediately launched into a long discussion of the happenings of the previous day, ending with "And then Joey's daddy came and took him to see his new baby brother. He was very happy. I think baby brothers are very nice, but I am going to have a baby sister."

This statement drew astonished looks and dead silence from all the adults. Then they all started talking at once.

"Spock! This is not the way to make such announcements!" Sarek was appalled.

Selek tried to conceal his amusement, without much luck.

Nyota was blushing bright red and shaking her head.

Spock spluttered and then turned to Grayson. "My son, you have made an untrue statement. You must correct it."

Grayson looked confused. "No, baba. Mama promised. I did hear her. And I don't need diapers any more. And she told you not to get your shot. So I am going to get a baby sister, am I not?"

Selek was actually laughing out loud now. Sarek was trying desperately to control the smirk that wanted to come out. Nyota had both hands to her face. Spock's ears were very green. "Perhaps we will continue this discussion at a better time. After I have spoken to my son about things we do not discuss publicly."

Sarek spoke up. "Since the damage has already been done and we are all here, I see no reason why the conversation can not continue. However, I do believe that conversation should definitely take place in order to avoid future incidents of this nature." He shook his head slightly. "You must learn to take the pronouncements of your child in stride, my son, just as I did."

Spock looked shocked. "Surely I did not ever say such things in public."

"Surely you did, Spock. As does every child until they learn better." Sarek's eyes were twinkling. He turned his face toward Nyota. "There are tales I am sure you would be interested in hearing, but possibly Spock has been embarrassed enough for one day. What are your current projects, my daughter?" He was trying to lead the conversation away from the embarrassing topic, however, Grayson had not given up yet.

"Mama, you did say..."

"Grayson, hush! We will talk about this later." She tried desperately to quiet her son. She gave up entirely when he persisted, pulling on her arm. She picked him up and disappeared off the screen, heading for the other room.

Spock watched them go and then turned back to the screen. "Did I truly embarrass you and mother like this was I was small?"

"Absolutely. I now have my revenge." Sarek looked smug and Selek was once again having difficulty in controlling his mirth.

Spock sighed deeply. "My apologies, father. Now I must go and talk with my son and console my bondmate, who is even more embarrassed than I am."

Selek spoke up again before the connection was broken. "And do be sure to let us know when Grayson's wishes have been fulfilled. A young female will be a very welcome addition to the family." He grinned widely at his younger self as Sarek cut the connection.

Spock did not think that Nyota was going to want to call her own parents until after Grayson had had a very through talking to. With another great sigh, he rose from the chair and headed to Grayson's bedroom.

_____________

Sa'mekh'al = grandfather

Sa'fu'al = grandson

Na'shaya = greeting

Toz'ot'al = uncle


	98. Chapter 98:Waking Up in the Night

**Baby Book - Waking up in the Middle of the Night**

**Mid September, 2270**

Grayson woke up to the sound of drawers opening and closing. He rolled over and looked across the room. In the dim light filtering in from the other room, he could see baba at his dresser, pulling things out of drawers. Sleepily he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "baba? Why are you taking my clothes out of the drawers in the middle of the night?"

Spock turned towards the bed and settled down on the floor, reaching one hand out to Grayson. "Grayson, your mama is....having a problem. She is not sick, but she is going to need close care for a few days. I will not be able to care for both of you. McCoy is coming to take you down to Pediatrics. They will keep you there at night until mama is ...over her problem. I will come get you as soon as I can. You will go to the day care center every day to play with your friends, just as always. Do you understand, my son?" His fingers brushed softly against the side of Grayson's face.

Grayson was confused. What was mama's problem? Baba said she wasn't sick. But if baba needed to be able to take care of her, something was wrong. And baba was worried, Grayson could tell. "I be good, baba. Don't worry. Mama be all better soon."

"Yes, Grayson, you are correct. Mama will be all better soon. Now let me finish getting your things together. McCoy will be here soon." Spock took the stack of clothing and placed it in a small duffle. Then he turned to Grayson. "Which fuzzy shall I pack?"

Grayson looked at the pile of fuzzies on his bed. He touched three of them, one at a time, and then decided instead on a fourth, picking it up and handing it to his father. Spock added it to the duffle. Then he went into the bathroom and came back with a stack of very small briefs, which he added to the duffle as well. He fastened the duffle up, then leaned over and picked Grayson up, settling him down on his left hip. He picked up the duffle and walked into the living area, just as the door chime sounded.

Spock said 'Come' and the door opened and Dr McCoy came in. Grayson grinned at him and McCoy grinned back, poking him in the ribs with one finger, then talking to baba. "I'll just go check on her quickly. Be right back." He disappeared in the bedroom while Grayson watched.

"Baba, why McCoy check on mama? You said she not sick."

"She is not sick, Grayson, but she has a problem that McCoy needs to verify."

Baba was listening to what was going on in the bedroom, Grayson could tell. There was not a lot of sound coming from there. He didn't hear mama's voice at all. Then McCoy came back out, shaking his head. "You were right, Spock. That has to be what it is. Be sure to get as much fluid down her as you can. If you need any help, just call me, any time of day or night."

Baba nodded and sighed.

Now McCoy turned to Grayson. "Okay, little guy, time for us to head down to Pediatrics. We'll find you a nice bed to finish the night in, okay?" He held out his arms and Grayson climbed over and hung on. McCoy felt different than baba did.

Baba brushed the side of his face again. "Please be good, Grayson. I will come for you as soon as I can."

"Yes, baba, I'll be good. Give mama a kiss for me."

Baba's lips quirked up. "I shall definitely do so, Grayson."

McCoy turned and headed for the door, Grayson on one hip and the duffle in the other hand. The door closed behind them and McCoy set off for the turbolift. In only a few minutes, they were walking into sick bay. The doctor turned to the left and headed down a short hall to the Pediatrics section. There he talked briefly with the nurse on duty and then tucked Grayson into one of the empty beds. He set Grayson's duffle at the foot of the bed. Then he looked at Grayson. "Didn't you bring a toy to sleep with, little guy?"

"baba put it in the duffle, McCoy."

"Ah, right, Vulcan efficiency at work." McCoy opened the duffle and pulled out the fuzzy, handing it to Grayson, who tucked it under his arm and curled up, ready to go back to sleep.

McCoy stepped back and the lights dimmed. He walked to the door of the room and spoke briefly with the nurse. Grayson couldn't hear what they were saying, and he was too sleepy to care. He hugged his fuzzy and went back to sleep.


	99. Chapter 99:Staying in Day Care

**Baby Book - Staying in Day Care**

**Mid September, 2270**

Grayson woke up and realized he was not in his own bed. He was confused for just a moment and then remembered - Dr McCoy had come in the middle of the night and brought him here. He sat up and looked around. One of the nurses saw him and came over and picked him up. "Good morning, there, Grayson. How are you this morning? I'm going to help you get dressed, okay?"

Grayson wasn't sure which question to answer first. "I am fine this morning. Yes, please help me get dressed. My clothes are in the duffel." He leaned over and pointed to it.

The nurse laughed. "Okay. Let's head for the bathroom first, shall we?"

"Yes, please. Do you have stairs?"

The nurse looked at him, not sure what he meant. But when they got to the bathroom, she pulled over a little stool and placed it right where it needed to be.

When he was washed and dressed, the nurse led him to a small table where his breakfast was waiting for him. She went back to her desk and did something with her comlink while he ate. Then she washed his hands and face and walked him down the hall to the day care center. "Someone will be here to pick you up this evening, Grayson. I'm not sure who it will be, but Miss Betty will know, Okay?"

Grayson nodded. "Thank you for helping me this morning." mama and baba had taught him to be polite.

"You're very welcome, Grayson. Bye now." and the nurse headed back to sick bay.

Grayson went to play with his friends.

***

It was almost the time when mama or baba would usually come to get him when Unca Jim appeared in the door. Grayson went running to him and Unca Jim picked him up and swung him around, then gave him a big hug. "How ya doing, little guy? Ready for some supper?"

"Yes, yes, Unca Jim. Supper in the mess hall?"

"Right you are. Let's go see if we can find Sulu and Chekov and Bones, as well as some food."

Grayson wiggled all over. He liked to eat supper in the mess hall with mama and baba's friends.

After supper, Unca Jim and Bones took him for a walk and let him watch the stars going by. Then when he was in his pajamas and tucked into bed, Unca Jim sat and read him stories until he fell asleep.

***

The next morning, while he was eating his breakfast, he heard two of the nurses talking. They were talking about mama and baba, he could tell. He climbed down from the chair and walked over to them, tugging on the skirt of one of them. "Please, tell me about mama and baba."

"Oh, Grayson honey, we're sorry. We shouldn't have been talking where you might hear." she patted the side of his face.

"Is something bad wrong with mama?"

"No, oh no, honey, not at all. Your mama is going to be just fine in a few days. Your baba is taking good care of her."

"Yes, baba takes good care of mama. Mama takes care of the baby sister and baba takes care of mama."

The nurse looked at him oddly. "Baby sister? You don't have a baby sister, Grayson."

"Soon. Mama said so. She and baba are making me one. It takes time. You can't just buy them at the store."

The nurses giggled. "No, you can't Grayson. Now go finish your breakfast."

Grayson went back to the small table and sat down again, oblivious to the whispered conversation behind him.

***

In the day care center, Grayson was sitting in the sandbox, playing with Joey and Jilly, when Miss Lou came and sat on the edge to talk to him. "Grayson, we just had a call from Dr. McCoy. He says your mama and baba are doing fine, and you shouldn't worry. Did one of the nurses tell you something was wrong this morning?"

"She didn't say something bad was wrong." Grayson looked a little confused. "I didn't understand what they were saying."

"Well, don't worry about it, okay? Your mama is going to be just fine and your baba will be here to get you in just a day or two." Miss Lou smiled at him.

"Will she have my baby sister then?"

Now it was Miss Lou's turn to look confused. "Baby sister? Grayson, you don't have a baby sister."

"But I'm going to. Mama said you can't buy babies at the store, mama and baba have to make me one and it takes time. Is a few days enough time? Will she have the baby sister made when baba comes to get me?"

Miss Lou was making a very strange face. She made funny little noises with one hand in front of her face. Finally she looked at him. "Grayson, it takes more than a few days to make a baby. I'm afraid you're going to have to wait." She reached out and ruffled his hair before getting up and going to talk to Miss Betty.

***

When Unca Jim came to get him for supper, he set Grayson up on his shoulders. Grayson laughed and almost forgot he wasn't allowed to hold onto hair, he got so excited. It was so much fun to ride way up high! While he was eating his supper, he heard Unca Jim talking to Sulu, saying something about kid's imagination. Grayson didn't know what he meant, so him just ignored him. But when Unca Jim was ready to read him stories, he asked a question. "Unca Jim, how many days does it take to make a baby?"

Unca Jim was startled. "Why do you want to know that, Grayson?"

"Miss Lou says it take more than a few days. How many is more than a few, Unca Jim?"

"Uh, maybe you ought to ask Bones that question, kid. Not my field. Let's do stories, okay?"

Grayson was puzzled, but he liked stories, so he settled down and handed Unca Jim the book baba had put in his duffle.

***

The next morning McCoy came to sit with him while he was eating his breakfast. "Hey, kiddo, how ya doin'?"

"I am doing fine, McCoy."

"Glad to hear it. I think your mama is almost over her...problem. I just talked to your baba and he said she was sleeping now. So this is probably the last night you will be sleeping here, okay?"

"It is not bad to sleep here, but I will be glad to sleep in my own bed again. And to see my mama and baba." Grayson looked at the doctor, who raised one eyebrow at him, much like baba did. "McCoy, will mama have my baby sister when baba comes to get me?"

"Whoa, there, kid. Who said anything about a baby sister?"

"mama said it takes time, that you can't buy babies at the store. Miss Lou said it takes more than a few days. Unca Jim said I should ask you. How many days does it take?" Grayson's eyes were wide as he watched the strange expressions cross the doctor's face.

"Huh. The things people tell little kids. Well, Grayson, it's like this. Human babies take 240 days on average, but some come earlier and some later. Other species take different amounts of time. Now you, little fella, are 3/4 human and 1/4 Vulcan, so you took a mite longer than 240 days. But not any longer than some completely human babies." McCoy watched the little boy's face to see whether he actually understood what was being said.

"So a baby sister would take more than 240 days to make?"

"That's right. Probably about 250. A long time to a little kid."

Grayson was very thoughtful. He looked back at the doctor. "So mama will not have finished making the baby sister when baba comes to get me."

"'Fraid not, kiddo."

Grayson sighed. "But Jilly really needs someone to play with now." He didn't understand why McCoy was leaking tears from his eyes and slapping his knee. Sometimes adults were just strange.


	100. Chapter 100:Baby Sister

**Baby Book - Baby Sister?**

**Mid September, 2270**

Grayson looked up and saw baba standing in the door. He jumped up out of the sandbox and ran across the room, holding up his hands to be picked up. "baba baba!" He hugged baba hard and baba hugged him back.

"How are you doing, Grayson?" baba brushed the side of his face with his fingers, letting Grayson feel the nice warmth.

"I am fine, baba. I have been very good. Can I go home now? Is mama all better?"

"I am pleased that you have been good. Yes, you can come home now. Mama is much better. She is still tired, but a day or two of rest and she will be fine." Baba walked over to talk to Miss Betty for a minute, and then headed out the door. "We will go to sick bay to get your things, and then we will go to the mess hall and get food to take home to mama."

"Can we get her macaroni and cheese, baba? She likes that when she is tired. I like it too."

Baba's lips quirked up. "That sounds like a very good idea, Grayson. Macaroni and cheese it is. And some other things as well."

"Blueberry muffins. She likes those."

"They may not have those at supper time. We will have to look. Perhaps cheesecake instead."

"Yes! Cheesecake with blueberries on it." Grayson gave baba a big smile. Mama would laugh at their choices for her supper.

When they got to sick bay, baba went straight to the pediatrics ward and collected Grayson's small duffel, checking to be sure everything was in it. He thanked the nurses for looking after Grayson and Grayson gave them all hugs. Then baba headed for Dr McCoy's office.

McCoy looked up as baba stood in the doorway. "Well, hello there. Everything's all right at home, then?"

"Yes, she has been sleeping for several hours. And seemed almost herself during the time she was awake before that. I believe a day or two of rest will return her to normal functioning."

"Well, don't forget to keep pushing fluids down her. She's probably still dehydrated."

"I have not forgotten. Thank you for your assistance in this matter."

"Just part of my job, Spock. And part of bein' a friend as well."

Baba nodded. Grayson waved goodbye to the doctor. Baba headed out the door, down the corridor, towards the mess hall. When they got to the mess hall, Unca Jim waved at them. Baba walked over and set down the small duffel. Unca Jim reached out for Grayson. "Why don't you leave him here with me while you go get food? It'll be a lot easier without your hands full."

Baba agreed and passed Grayson over before heading for the serving line. Unca Jim asked him how things were going. Grayson proceeded to tell him everything that had happened since he had seen him last night. Unca Jim listened carefully, nodding in all the right places.

Baba came back with a tray full of food. He also had the carry-out boxes. He proceeded to move the food off the plates and into the carry-out boxes. When he had all the carry-out boxes filled, he stacked them in the disposable bag that was on the side of the tray. He held out his hands for Grayson again, then picked up the duffel and the bag of food. He told Unca Jim that they would be back on the bridge on Monday and headed out the door.

When they got to their quarters, baba placed his finger on Grayson's lips. Grayson nodded. Mama might be sleeping, so he should be quiet. Baba walked softly to the table and set down the duffle and food, then set Grayson on the floor. He moved across the room silently and peered around the doorframe into the bedroom. "Are you awake, Nyota?" his voice was very soft.

"Um, hm. Tired, but awake."

"I have someone here who is very eager to see you." baba motioned to Grayson to come and Grayson went flying across the floor, not stopping until he was right beside mama and baba's bed. Mama was leaning back against several pillows, covered with a warm blanket. She smiled widely when she saw Grayson.

"Hi, little boy. How are you doing?"

"I am doing fine, mama. How are you doing?"

"I am doing fine, too, Grayson. Just tired. And hungry. I sure hope my guys brought me some supper."

"Yes, mama, macaroni and cheese and cheesecake with blueberries!"

Mama laughed. "I hope there's some salad in there too, Spock."

"Yes, I would not forget your salad. And there are a few other things as well." Baba's eyes were sparkling, so Grayson knew he was happy.

Baba reached down and picked mama up, blanket and all. Mama laughed and said she could walk, but baba ignored her. He set her down in one of the chairs at the table and started opening the carry-out boxes. Grayson went to the cabinet where the dishes were kept and got the silverware and brought it to the table. Very carefully, he carried one plate at a time to the table. Mama smiled at him and ruffled his hair. Baba picked him up and sat him in a chair and started putting food on his plate. It was very nice to be home again.

***

After supper, baba picked mama up again and put her on the couch. Baba sat down on the couch as well. Grayson came and held up his hands to be picked up and baba lifted him up on the couch, too. Mama laid down with her head on baba's lap, and pulled Grayson over onto her tummy. Grayson hugged mama and snuggled up. Baba laid one hand on Grayson's back and rubbed him gently while he told him a story about a small boy and his pet seh'lat, roaming the sands together. Grayson liked those stories. He would like to have a seh'lat, too.

When the story was over, Grayson patted mama on the cheek. "mama, mama. Question."

"Yes, Grayson, what is your question?"

"Baby sister, mama? Did you and baba make me a baby sister?"

Mama burst out laughing. Baba's ears turned green. Mama hugged him harder. "We just can't keep anything from you, can we, little boy?" She pulled his face close to hers and whispered to him. "This is our secret, okay? Don't tell until mama says you can."

Grayson nodded, his face covered with a wide grin. Baba leaned over and moved his hand down onto mama's tummy, then he touched Grayson's face with his other hand. Grayson gasped in awe. Such a bright, pretty spark! And so happy! "What is that, baba?"

"That is your baby sister, Grayson. All safe and warm in mama's tummy until she grows big enough to come out."

"Happy baby sister."

"Yes, she is." baba moved his hands, ruffling Grayson's hair gently. "And now I think it's time for you to get ready for bed."

Grayson gave mama a big hug and climbed down off the couch, heading for his bedroom. It was going to be nice to sleep in his own bed again. And he must remember to count the days. He did not want to miss his baby sister's arrival.

____________

Author's Note: This is the final chapter of this story. Tomorrow starts the 8-chapter story "Unca Jeem's Adventures in Babysitting Class." When that is finished, "Baby Book - Phase Two" will start.


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